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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.

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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: hide · bulb · root · capital · key · cap · wake · chair

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. chair — a leader
  3. cap — of ice
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bulb — for light
  9. capital — money
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. root — of a plant
  12. capital — a city
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. root — the cause
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wake — a trail
  18. root — of a word
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cap — a hat
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cap — a lid

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