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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: rush · roll · root · court · snap · stem · cell · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. root — of a plant
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. court — of a king
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. court — of law
  11. roll — a cake
  12. rush — hurry
  13. root — of a word
  14. court — for sport
  15. root — the cause
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cell — in biology
  19. snap — to click
  20. capital — money
  21. roll — a list
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stem — to come from

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