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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: root · chair · row · band · mate · arm · fine · jam

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mate — a partner
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. root — of a plant
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. root — of a word
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. row — to paddle
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fine — high quality
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. row — a line
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. fine — all right
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. root — the cause
  24. arm — a part of something

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