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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 116 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: bowl · firm · bear · pitcher · chip · capital · root · tear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. firm — decided
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chip — to eat
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. chip — for betting
  12. firm — a company
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. tear — to rip
  19. firm — steady
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. bowl — a football final

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