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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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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: cell · mouse · vault · degree · land · tube · prune · root

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. vault — a safe
  5. degree — temperature
  6. land — to come down
  7. tube — a container
  8. degree — from a university
  9. root — of a plant
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. root — the cause
  13. land — ground
  14. land — a country
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. degree — an amount
  18. prune — to trim
  19. root — of a word
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cell — in biology

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