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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: stem · arm · leaves · foot · kid · swing · shower · board

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. board — to get on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. swing — music
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. kid — to tease
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. shower — rain
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. stem — to come from
  18. swing — to play on
  19. kid — child
  20. foot — a measure
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. foot — part of the body

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