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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: root · ball · band · capital · swing · prune · squash · land

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. squash — the sport
  4. root — of a plant
  5. swing — in golf
  6. root — the cause
  7. swing — to play on
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. capital — a city
  10. land — ground
  11. band — a music group
  12. capital — money
  13. land — a country
  14. squash — to crush
  15. prune — to trim
  16. land — to come down
  17. ball — a great time
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. swing — music
  20. ball — a dance
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. prune — to trim
  23. root — of a word
  24. band — a ring

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