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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: wind · suit · fork · root · bore · land · capital · wave

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. root — the cause
  5. wind — moving air
  6. capital — a city
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. suit — in cards
  11. bore — to tire
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bore — to drill
  14. root — of a plant
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. capital — money
  19. land — to come down
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. root — of a word
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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