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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: perch · capital · root · ground · mate · mark · jam · face

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. capital — a city
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mark — a trace
  7. face — to confront
  8. root — the cause
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. ground — a position
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mate — a friend
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. ground — crushed
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — part of the head
  23. capital — money
  24. root — of a word

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