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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 116 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 · craft · pass · capital · drill · wax · wound · clip

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. drill — army training
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pass — a permit
  7. current — electric
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wound — an injury
  10. clip — to cut
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. clip — a video
  14. capital — money
  15. drill — the tool
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. craft — boats
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wound — an injury

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