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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 120 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: board · tube · club · wax · pop · capital · degree · sharp

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. club — for dancing
  3. board — a committee
  4. sharp — clever
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wax — to grow
  8. tube — the underground
  9. club — for golf
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — music
  12. club — a group
  13. degree — from a university
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. tube — a container
  16. board — to get on
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. capital — a city
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pop — to visit
  21. degree — an amount
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. capital — money

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