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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bank — for money
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. perch — the fish
  8. capital — a city
  9. bank — for money
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. root — the cause
  14. dip — to sink
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. root — of a word
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. degree — temperature
  23. root — of a plant
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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