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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: craft · drill · wax · cap · game · wound · coach · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wax — to grow
  3. game — wild animals
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. drill — army training
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. craft — a skill
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cap — a lid
  13. drill — a practice
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. capital — money
  16. wound — an injury
  17. game — a match
  18. craft — boats
  19. cap — a hat
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cap — of ice
  24. coach — a trainer

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