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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: cell · mine · jam · rule · root · squash · arm · vault

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cell — in biology
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rule — government
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. squash — to crush
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rule — a law
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. vault — a safe
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. root — the cause
  21. mine — for digging
  22. root — of a plant
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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