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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 116 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: bear · root · club · ground · net · capital · stand · cue

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ground — a position
  4. capital — money
  5. club — for dancing
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. club — for golf
  8. ground — the earth
  9. net — after costs
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. club — a group
  13. root — of a plant
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. net — for catching
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. ground — crushed
  24. net — in sport

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