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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 116 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: bay · court · land · clip · lie · wax · branch · leaves

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. court — of a king
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. court — of law
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. land — ground
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. court — for sport
  11. land — to come down
  12. clip — to cut
  13. land — a country
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. wax — to grow
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. branch — a division

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