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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cue · drill · wound · craft · staff · degree · mine · capital

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. capital — money
  4. cue — for pool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — a practice
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. capital — a city
  13. degree — an amount
  14. craft — a skill
  15. degree — temperature
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. craft — boats
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mine — for digging
  21. staff — employees
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. staff — employees
  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