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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: rest · pound · hide · tear · root · capital · ball · current

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. root — the cause
  5. current — happening now
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pound — a weight
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rest — what's left
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rest — what's left
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. ball — a great time
  24. hide — animal skin

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