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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: ground · capital · stick · rule · root · branch · squash · field

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. rule — a law
  4. field — a subject
  5. root — of a word
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rule — government
  9. capital — a city
  10. field — farmland
  11. squash — the sport
  12. field — for sport
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. branch — a division
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. capital — a big letter

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