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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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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: deal · wind · capital · bulb · root · net · firm · face

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. firm — a company
  3. root — of a word
  4. wind — moving air
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. firm — steady
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wind — moving air
  12. face — to confront
  13. capital — a city
  14. net — after costs
  15. root — the cause
  16. firm — decided
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bulb — for light
  19. capital — money
  20. net — for catching
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. net — in sport
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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