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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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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 · tear · arm · stand · root · snap · mine · court

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. court — of a king
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. court — of law
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. capital — a city
  11. stand — to bear
  12. root — of a word
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. snap — to click
  18. root — of a plant
  19. capital — money
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. court — for sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. root — the cause
  24. arm — part of the body

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