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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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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: lean · drill · pitch · capital · hide · spring · root · bay

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. drill — army training
  3. root — the cause
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. pitch — completely
  14. spring — the season
  15. drill — a practice
  16. capital — a city
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. spring — a coil
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. capital — money
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — of water
  24. hide — animal skin

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