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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: current · fan · vault · temple · root · ground · perch · capital

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ground — a position
  3. current — happening now
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. capital — money
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — the earth
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. perch — the fish
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. root — of a plant
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. root — the cause
  23. vault — a safe
  24. capital — a city

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