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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: stem · calf · date · content · root · capital · prune · key

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. key — the most important part
  4. content — happy
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. date — the fruit
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. key — in music
  9. root — the cause
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. root — of a word
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. root — of a plant
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. key — for a lock
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. prune — to trim
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stem — to come from
  23. capital — money
  24. content — the amount

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