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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: march · squash · bay · saw · wound · root · vault · arm

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. saw — the tool
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. root — the cause
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wound — an injury
  10. march — music
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. march — the month
  15. root — of a word
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. root — of a plant
  22. march — the month
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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