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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: nail · root · capital · rash · last · deal · ground · temple

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. last — to go on
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ground — the earth
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rash — a series
  10. ground — a position
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. root — of a word
  13. last — finally
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. capital — a city
  16. root — the cause
  17. capital — money
  18. last — final
  19. rash — hasty
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. deal — to handle
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. ground — crushed

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