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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 120 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: rush · hand · capital · root · kid · snap · perch · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. suit — to fit
  4. suit — in cards
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kid — child
  8. capital — a city
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. capital — money
  17. hand — help
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. snap — to click
  22. rush — hurry
  23. kid — to tease
  24. hand — in cards

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