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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 116 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: hand · board · deal · bowl · prune · bass · capital · root

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. board — to get on
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. prune — to trim
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. capital — money
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. hand — in cards
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bass — low music
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hand — help
  19. capital — a city
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bass — the fish
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bowl — a dish

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