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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
468
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 · tube · pass · court · degree · calf · land · cap

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. tube — a container
  3. court — of a king
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cap — a lid
  8. court — of law
  9. degree — from a university
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. court — for sport
  12. land — a country
  13. degree — temperature
  14. land — ground
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. land — to come down
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cap — of ice
  24. degree — an amount

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