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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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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: field · capital · rush · present · craft · fan · root · nail

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. craft — boats
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. field — a subject
  9. capital — money
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. root — of a plant
  13. craft — a skill
  14. root — of a word
  15. present — a gift
  16. field — for sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. field — farmland
  20. root — the cause
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rush — hurry
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. craft — a handicraft

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