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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: root · season · swing · capital · rash · arm · snap · spell

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. root — of a plant
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. root — the cause
  5. spell — a short time
  6. capital — money
  7. rash — a series
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rash — hasty
  13. snap — to click
  14. root — of a word
  15. spell — magic
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. capital — a city
  18. swing — to play on
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. spell — letters
  22. season — of the year
  23. swing — music
  24. capital — a big letter

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