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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: fan · lie · sharp · capital · current · field · march · root

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — the cause
  3. field — for sport
  4. march — the month
  5. field — a subject
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. march — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. current — electric
  16. lie — to recline
  17. capital — a city
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. root — of a word
  20. current — of water
  21. sharp — clever
  22. field — farmland
  23. march — the month
  24. current — happening now

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