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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: wax · press · sharp · cap · capital · craft · cabinet · drill

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. drill — army training
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wax — to grow
  6. capital — a city
  7. press — newspapers
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. drill — a practice
  13. capital — money
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. craft — boats
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. sharp — clever
  23. drill — the tool
  24. press — to push

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