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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: present · tear · chest · root · march · capital · rock · mark

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. march — the month
  3. tear — to rip
  4. root — of a plant
  5. rock — a stone
  6. capital — a city
  7. rock — music
  8. capital — money
  9. chest — of your body
  10. present — there
  11. march — music
  12. root — the cause
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. present — a gift
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mark — a grade
  18. chest — a box
  19. mark — a trace
  20. march — the month
  21. root — of a word
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. present — the time now
  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