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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.

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: capital · mate · rest · cold · pop · root · bank · rush

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pop — music
  4. bank — of a river
  5. capital — money
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bank — for money
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mate — a partner
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. capital — a city
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bank — for money
  23. root — the cause
  24. pop — to visit

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