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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: cue · tube · court · capital · stem · degree · season · patient

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. court — for sport
  5. cue — a signal
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. capital — money
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. season — of the year
  13. cue — for pool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stem — to come from
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. season — in sport
  18. cue — a hint
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. tube — the underground
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. tube — a container

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