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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: club · lean · wound · capital · chair · hide · root · wake

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. root — of a word
  6. capital — money
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. root — the cause
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — a group
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. club — for golf
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wake — a trail

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