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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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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: capital · net · pop · firm · key · tear · kid · root

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pop — music
  3. capital — money
  4. kid — child
  5. pop — soda
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. tear — from crying
  8. net — after costs
  9. root — of a word
  10. kid — to tease
  11. key — for a lock
  12. tear — from crying
  13. net — for catching
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — steady
  16. net — in sport
  17. firm — decided
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pop — to visit
  20. capital — a city
  21. root — the cause
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. root — of a plant

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