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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 120 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: perch · ruler · object · track · mate · capital · mine · root

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. capital — a city
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. object — an aim
  7. root — the cause
  8. track — a song
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mine — for digging
  11. capital — money
  12. root — of a plant
  13. object — to protest
  14. mate — a partner
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. object — a thing
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. mate — a friend
  20. root — of a word
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. track — a path
  24. perch — for a bird

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