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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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Word bank
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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: row · cabinet · chest · rule · root · capital

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. root — of a word
  6. rule — a law
  7. chest — of your body
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. chest — a box
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. row — a line
  12. rule — government
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cabinet — ministers

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