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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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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: root · prune · fan · cap · straw · race · drill · capital

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. root — of a word
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. drill — the tool
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. root — the cause
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. cap — a hat
  12. race — a contest
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. race — the arms race
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cap — of ice
  18. drill — army training
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. prune — to trim
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. race — humankind
  24. root — of a plant

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