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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: capital · land · fork · kick · dip · mate · bear · root

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. dip — to sink
  5. fork — in a road
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mate — a friend
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mate — to breed
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. land — ground
  17. root — of a word
  18. land — a country
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bear — the animal
  21. land — to come down
  22. kick — in football
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. dip — a sauce

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