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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: spring · capital · pitcher · charge · spell · root · wound · bank

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. charge — a price
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spell — magic
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — in control
  13. wound — an injury
  14. root — the cause
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bank — for money
  17. spring — a coil
  18. capital — a city
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bank — for money
  21. spell — letters
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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