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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: bound · mine · swing · root · spell · bark · capital · press

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bound — certain
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bound — obliged
  6. press — to push
  7. spell — a short time
  8. press — a publisher
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. swing — in golf
  12. root — of a word
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mine — for digging
  15. swing — music
  16. root — the cause
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bound — tied together
  22. spell — letters
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. spell — magic

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