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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: swing · scale · capital · root · squash · nail · tube · degree

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. scale — size or range
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. degree — from a university
  7. swing — in golf
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. tube — a container
  11. root — of a plant
  12. capital — money
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. capital — a city
  15. swing — to play on
  16. scale — in music
  17. swing — music
  18. squash — to crush
  19. root — the cause
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. tube — the underground
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. root — of a word

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