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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 116 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: root · bear · bank · rest · mate · capital · land · sharp

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. capital — a city
  3. bank — for money
  4. root — the cause
  5. rest — a break
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. capital — money
  11. root — of a plant
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bank — of a river
  16. land — ground
  17. bank — for money
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bear — the animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. root — of a word
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rest — what's left

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