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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: land · bank · capital · root · game · spell · hand · squash

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bank — for money
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bank — for money
  5. land — to come down
  6. spell — letters
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. game — a match
  10. spell — magic
  11. root — the cause
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. hand — help
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. root — of a word
  19. game — wild animals
  20. spell — a short time
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bank — of a river
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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