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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: capital · jam · drill · root · hand · bound · mouse · rock

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bound — certain
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rock — a stone
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. rock — music
  11. root — of a word
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. capital — money
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. capital — a city
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. drill — the tool
  21. root — of a plant
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. root — the cause

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