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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: wax · capital · craft · season · fine · cap · temple · current

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. capital — a city
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fine — high quality
  8. current — electric
  9. craft — boats
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. capital — money
  12. season — in sport
  13. current — happening now
  14. fine — all right
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. current — of water
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. season — of the year
  23. cap — a lid
  24. fine — a penalty

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