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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: last · capital · mark · arm · press · scale · chest · root

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. chest — of your body
  3. root — of a word
  4. capital — a city
  5. mark — a trace
  6. capital — money
  7. last — to go on
  8. press — a publisher
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. mark — a grade
  11. last — final
  12. chest — a box
  13. press — newspapers
  14. root — the cause
  15. scale — size or range
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chest — of your body
  20. press — to push
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. last — finally

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