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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: trunk · root · rush · key · scale · pitcher · deal · capital

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rush — hurry
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. root — the cause
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. scale — in music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. key — in music
  18. root — of a word
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. root — of a plant
  24. key — the most important part

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