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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: bank · land · racket · game · lie · root · capital · leaves

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. root — of a plant
  4. lie — to recline
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bank — of a river
  8. land — a country
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. game — a match
  11. land — to come down
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. game — wild animals
  15. capital — money
  16. root — of a word
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. land — ground
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bank — for money
  21. root — the cause
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bank — for money
  24. leaves — to go away

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