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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: dip · root · wind · jam · saw · clip · arm · vault

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. root — the cause
  3. dip — to sink
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. saw — the tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. wind — moving air
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. vault — a safe
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. saw — the tool
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wind — moving air
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. clip — to cut

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