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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: deal · suit · shower · cold · capital · saw · season · root

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. saw — the tool
  5. root — the cause
  6. suit — to fit
  7. root — of a plant
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. capital — a city
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. season — in sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. capital — money
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. suit — clothes
  17. root — of a word
  18. deal — to handle
  19. shower — rain
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. season — of the year
  22. shower — to wash
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. capital — a big letter

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