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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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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: dip · hand · root · capital · rest · kick · arm · wake

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. root — the cause
  3. capital — money
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. rest — what's left
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. capital — a city
  14. rest — a break
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. kick — in football
  19. hand — in cards
  20. dip — to sink
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wake — a trail
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rest — what's left

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