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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: root · capital · face · mug · spell · spring · foot · deal

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mug — a face
  3. spring — of water
  4. foot — a measure
  5. mug — a cup
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. spell — letters
  8. root — of a plant
  9. capital — money
  10. deal — to handle
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. spring — a coil
  13. face — to point toward
  14. root — the cause
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. root — of a word
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. capital — a city
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mug — to rob
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spring — the season
  24. face — to confront

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