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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: bat · ball · bound · mate · spell · wave · root · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. ball — a great time
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. root — the cause
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. spell — letters
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bound — obliged
  15. capital — a city
  16. spell — a short time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bat — the animal
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. spell — magic
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bound — certain

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