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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.

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: nail · capital · wound · foot · root · hide · racket · spell

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wound — an injury
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. root — of a word
  9. wound — an injury
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. root — of a plant
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. root — the cause
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. foot — a measure
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. spell — magic
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. racket — a loud noise

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