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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: root · bay · capital · bound · sharp · race · bat · wax

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. root — of a word
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. capital — money
  9. bound — certain
  10. capital — a city
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. race — humankind
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. race — a contest
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. root — the cause
  23. race — the arms race
  24. capital — a big letter

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