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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
468
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: rash · leaves · content · rush · root · land · capital · fork

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. content — happy
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. root — of a word
  8. land — a country
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. capital — a city
  12. content — the amount
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fork — in a road
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. root — the cause
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rash — a series
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. land — to come down
  22. rash — hasty
  23. capital — money
  24. land — ground

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