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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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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: ruler · deal · capital · roll · wake · root · press · field

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. deal — to handle
  3. root — of a plant
  4. press — to push
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. field — farmland
  7. roll — a list
  8. field — a subject
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. field — for sport
  13. root — of a word
  14. press — a publisher
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. capital — money
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wake — a trail
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. root — the cause
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. roll — a cake
  23. capital — a city
  24. roll — on a roll

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