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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: root · wound · tube · sharp · degree · capital · stand · suit

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. degree — an amount
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. suit — to fit
  11. root — the cause
  12. stand — to bear
  13. root — of a word
  14. capital — a city
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. degree — temperature
  18. sharp — clever
  19. suit — in cards
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. degree — from a university
  23. root — of a plant
  24. suit — clothes

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