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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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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 · capital · leaves · race · root · mark · fall · rash

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rash — a series
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. fall — to drop
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. root — of a plant
  10. capital — a city
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. root — of a word
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fall — to drop
  16. race — humankind
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. root — the cause
  21. race — a contest
  22. fall — the season
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. race — the arms race

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