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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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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: march · rush · mug · capital · board · root · lean · straw

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. capital — money
  5. root — of a plant
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. march — music
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rush — hurry
  14. root — the cause
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mug — a cup
  17. root — of a word
  18. mug — a face
  19. march — the month
  20. capital — a city
  21. march — the month
  22. mug — to rob
  23. lean — thin
  24. rush — to hurry

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