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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: root · bulb · band · cell · vault · cold · row · pit

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pit — a hole
  3. root — of a word
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cell — in biology
  7. root — the cause
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bulb — for light
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cell — a phone
  19. root — of a plant
  20. band — a music group
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cold — not warm

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