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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · land · rash · root · capital · racket

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. spell — magic
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. root — of a word
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. root — the cause
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. capital — money
  12. rash — hasty
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. root — of a plant
  16. land — a country
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters

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