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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.

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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
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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: clip · root · capital · row · bank · rash · pop · calf

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. capital — a city
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pop — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pop — to visit
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bank — for money
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. capital — money
  19. clip — for paper
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rash — a series
  22. row — a line
  23. pop — soda
  24. clip — a video

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