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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: racket · capital · rash · coach · cell · root · file · spring

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. root — the cause
  3. rash — a series
  4. spring — the season
  5. rash — hasty
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spring — a coil
  8. capital — money
  9. root — of a plant
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cell — a phone
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. file — a line of people
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. root — of a word
  23. spring — of water
  24. cell — in biology

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