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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · scale · bear · date · capital · ground · mark · root

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bear — the animal
  3. scale — in music
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. root — of a plant
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. capital — a city
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. root — of a word
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. ground — a position
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. root — the cause
  21. scale — size or range
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mark — a grade
  24. capital — money

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