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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: arm · vault · stem · bay · cell · degree · racket · lash

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stem — to come from
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. vault — a safe
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cell — a phone

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