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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 124 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. capital — a city
  3. root — the cause
  4. capital — money
  5. root — of a plant
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. club — for dancing
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. current — electric
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. club — a group
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. root — of a word
  16. current — of water
  17. current — happening now
  18. hand — help
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. hand — in cards

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