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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: wind · root · bark · lean · saw · capital · spring · pitch

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. root — the cause
  3. bark — to shout
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. capital — a city
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spring — of water
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. spring — a coil
  14. lean — thin
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lean — to bend
  20. root — of a word
  21. spring — the season
  22. saw — the tool
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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