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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. can — a tin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. root — the cause
  5. can — to be able to
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. capital — a city
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. root — of a word
  11. kid — to tease
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. can — a tin
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. capital — money
  17. kid — child
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. hand — help
  22. craft — a skill
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. craft — boats

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