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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 120 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: pitcher · wax · staff · temple · wound · current · race · capital

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. race — humankind
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a city
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. capital — money
  11. race — a contest
  12. wound — an injury
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. wound — an injury
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wax — to grow
  17. current — electric
  18. staff — a stick
  19. race — the arms race
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. current — of water
  24. wax — in the ear

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