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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · bore · straw · band · root · capital

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. capital — money
  3. root — of a word
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bore — to drill
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bore — to tire
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. root — the cause
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. band — a music group
  14. snap — to click
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. capital — a city

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