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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: sharp · root · stand · bark · roll · straw · swing · capital

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. capital — a city
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. capital — money
  11. sharp — clever
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. root — of a word
  21. stand — to bear
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. sharp — with an edge

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