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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: court · tube · charge · cap · wax · bore · land · ball

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. land — to come down
  4. charge — in control
  5. tube — a container
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. land — ground
  9. ball — a great time
  10. charge — electricity
  11. land — a country
  12. bore — to drill
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bore — to tire
  15. court — of law
  16. cap — a lid
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. charge — a price
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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