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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: chair · craft · root · shower · scale · tear · track · capital

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. track — to keep track
  4. tear — from crying
  5. root — of a plant
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. root — of a word
  8. capital — a city
  9. shower — to wash
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tear — from crying
  12. track — a path
  13. craft — a skill
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. root — the cause
  16. tear — to rip
  17. track — a song
  18. chair — a leader
  19. capital — money
  20. scale — in music
  21. craft — boats
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. shower — rain
  24. craft — a handicraft

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