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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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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. root — the cause
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. track — a path
  6. capital — money
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pop — music
  16. scale — in music
  17. capital — a city
  18. track — a song
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pop — soda

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