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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.

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: ball · capital · pop · current · season · root · mine · ruler

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mine — for digging
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. ball — a great time
  6. season — of the year
  7. capital — a city
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. current — electric
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pop — to visit
  13. capital — money
  14. ball — a dance
  15. season — in sport
  16. pop — music
  17. root — the cause
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. current — of water
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. current — happening now
  24. ruler — a monarch

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