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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. present — a gift
  3. race — the arms race
  4. rash — a series
  5. lean — thin
  6. race — humankind
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. root — of a word
  10. race — a contest
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. present — there
  13. rush — hurry
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. capital — money
  16. root — the cause
  17. lean — to bend
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. present — the time now
  23. root — of a plant
  24. capital — a big letter

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