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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: bass · root · object · board · court · capital · spring · rock

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. court — of a king
  4. spring — a coil
  5. court — of law
  6. object — to protest
  7. root — of a plant
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. root — of a word
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. rock — music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rock — a stone
  15. object — a thing
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. bass — low music
  19. object — an aim
  20. court — for sport
  21. root — the cause
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. board — a committee

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