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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.

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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: saw · capital · root · rule · spell · kick · row · staff

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. staff — employees
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. kick — in football
  6. staff — a stick
  7. capital — a city
  8. row — to paddle
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. staff — employees
  11. rule — government
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spell — a short time
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. row — a line
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. capital — money
  23. spell — letters
  24. rule — to rule out

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