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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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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: snap · prune · suit · stick · game · capital · root · object

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. root — of a word
  3. suit — to fit
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. game — wild animals
  6. snap — to click
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. object — an aim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. capital — a city
  11. game — a match
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. object — to protest
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. object — a thing
  17. root — of a plant
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. capital — money
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. suit — in cards
  24. root — the cause

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