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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: capital · coach · club · root · spell · perch · field · pop

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. root — the cause
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pop — to visit
  7. field — farmland
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pop — soda
  10. spell — letters
  11. perch — the fish
  12. root — of a word
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pop — music
  18. spell — magic
  19. field — for sport
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. capital — a city
  22. field — a subject
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. capital — money

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