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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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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: band · root · cabinet · lash · capital · chair · field · fork

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. band — a ring
  6. capital — money
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. capital — a city
  9. field — for sport
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. root — the cause
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fork — in a road
  15. root — of a word
  16. chair — a leader
  17. band — a music group
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. field — a subject
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. field — farmland
  24. chair — a professorship

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