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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: trunk · board · racket · saw · arm · swing · root · clip

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. swing — music
  5. root — of a plant
  6. swing — to play on
  7. board — to get on
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. board — a committee
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. swing — in golf
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. clip — to cut
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. trunk — of a car

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