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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · cell · capital · ground · mark · squash · pop · craft

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pop — music
  4. ground — a position
  5. squash — to crush
  6. ground — crushed
  7. root — of a plant
  8. capital — money
  9. pop — to visit
  10. root — of a word
  11. cell — a phone
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cell — in biology
  15. root — the cause
  16. ground — the earth
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pop — soda
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — boats
  23. mark — a grade
  24. capital — a city

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