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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: net · bear · root · capital · hand · lie · nail · race

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. net — in sport
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — a city
  5. hand — help
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lie — to recline
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. root — of a plant
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. root — of a word
  13. capital — money
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. race — a contest
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bear — the animal
  24. root — the cause

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