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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 · cabinet · roll · last · bear · degree · root · wake

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. wake — a trail
  5. roll — a cake
  6. root — of a word
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. roll — a list
  13. bear — the animal
  14. degree — temperature
  15. last — final
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. root — of a plant
  20. last — to go on
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. last — finally
  24. capital — money

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