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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.

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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: bowl · band · staff · scale · root · fan · race · capital

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. staff — a stick
  5. scale — in music
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. band — a music group
  9. capital — money
  10. race — a contest
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. band — a ring
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. race — humankind
  15. staff — employees
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. capital — a city
  19. root — of a word
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. staff — employees
  24. scale — for weighing

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