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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: object · drill · hand · wax · swing · craft · mug · capital

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a face
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. capital — money
  6. object — an aim
  7. swing — music
  8. object — a thing
  9. swing — in golf
  10. hand — help
  11. drill — army training
  12. capital — a city
  13. object — to protest
  14. wax — to grow
  15. drill — a practice
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. craft — boats
  19. mug — a cup
  20. craft — a skill
  21. drill — the tool
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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