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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: bay · degree · arm · root · hide · swing · snap · band

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. root — the cause
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. band — a music group
  18. degree — an amount
  19. snap — to click
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. band — a ring

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