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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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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: cold · wave · squash · branch · mug · board · root · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. root — of a word
  4. capital — money
  5. squash — to crush
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. root — the cause
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. root — of a plant
  14. branch — a division
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mug — to rob
  18. capital — a city
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. mug — a cup
  21. squash — the sport
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. mug — a face

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