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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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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: content · tube · stick · capital · straw · fork · bat · root

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. root — of a plant
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. root — of a word
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. capital — a city
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fork — in a road
  17. tube — a container
  18. content — the amount
  19. capital — money
  20. content — happy
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. tube — the underground
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. root — the cause

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