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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: drill · stand · rush · content · fall · capital · root · season

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. content — the amount
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. season — in sport
  6. capital — a city
  7. season — of the year
  8. fall — to drop
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fall — the season
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. capital — money
  14. root — of a plant
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rush — hurry
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. drill — army training
  20. root — the cause
  21. stand — to bear
  22. content — happy
  23. root — of a word
  24. rush — to hurry

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