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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 120 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 · squash · spell · fan · spring · vault · root · kid

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. root — of a plant
  3. kid — child
  4. root — the cause
  5. squash — to crush
  6. capital — money
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — magic
  9. squash — the sport
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spring — of water
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. root — of a word
  14. spell — letters
  15. capital — a city
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. kid — to tease
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. spring — the season

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