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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 116 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 · mouse · mug · race · straw · wound · capital · bound

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. root — of a plant
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — a face
  9. wound — an injury
  10. race — a contest
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bound — tied together
  13. race — humankind
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mug — to rob
  18. root — the cause
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bound — certain
  22. capital — a city
  23. bound — obliged
  24. root — of a word

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