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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · charge · mug · bowl · lie · clip · court · land

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. charge — in control
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. court — of a king
  7. charge — a price
  8. clip — to cut
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. court — for sport
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mug — a cup
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a face
  19. land — ground
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. land — to come down
  23. court — of law
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com