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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 116 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: mine · key · tear · straw · root · capital · ground · cabinet

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. root — the cause
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. root — of a plant
  5. key — for a lock
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. key — the most important part
  13. root — of a word
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. tear — from crying
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. ground — a position
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. straw — dry grass

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