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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 120 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: spring · club · bay · root · cabinet · capital · wake · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. root — of a word
  3. spring — of water
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spring — the season
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. root — the cause
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. spring — a coil
  13. root — of a plant
  14. club — for golf
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wind — moving air
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. club — a group

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