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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · clip · shower · swing · mate · leaves · bore · rash

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bore — to tire
  4. clip — a video
  5. shower — rain
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. shower — to wash
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mate — to breed
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. clip — to cut
  14. swing — in golf
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. bore — to drill
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rash — a series
  24. leaves — to go away

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