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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: capital · fan · jam · ball · band · root · row · rash

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. root — of a plant
  3. capital — a city
  4. root — the cause
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rash — a series
  11. row — a line
  12. band — a ring
  13. row — to paddle
  14. rash — hasty
  15. band — a music group
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. root — of a word
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ball — a dance

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