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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.

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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: current · stand · capital · drill · bulb · face · snap · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bulb — for light
  3. snap — to click
  4. capital — a city
  5. current — happening now
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stand — to bear
  11. face — part of the head
  12. clip — to cut
  13. capital — money
  14. clip — for paper
  15. current — of water
  16. drill — army training
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bulb — for light
  20. face — to confront
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. drill — the tool
  24. current — electric

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