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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. shower — to wash
  4. root — of a plant
  5. capital — a city
  6. shower — rain
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. root — the cause
  9. fall — to drop
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. root — of a word
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. field — for sport

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