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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: mug · current · clip · rest · wax · craft · saw · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. current — happening now
  3. craft — a skill
  4. court — for sport
  5. mug — a cup
  6. craft — boats
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mug — to rob
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wax — to grow
  11. current — electric
  12. rest — what's left
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rest — a break
  15. clip — a video
  16. mug — a face
  17. court — of law
  18. clip — for paper
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. clip — to cut
  21. current — of water
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wax — for sculpting

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