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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · wax · current · mug · land · cap · sharp · object

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mug — a face
  4. cap — of ice
  5. sharp — clever
  6. land — to come down
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — an aim
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mug — a cup
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. land — a country
  18. wax — to grow
  19. land — ground
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. current — of water
  24. cap — a hat

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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