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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.

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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: chair · date · drill · squash · root · lie · lean · capital

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. drill — army training
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. root — of a plant
  9. chair — a leader
  10. root — of a word
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lie — to recline
  17. root — the cause
  18. drill — the tool
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. lean — to bend
  22. drill — a practice
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chair — a professorship

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