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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: saw · stem · row · swing · tube · arm · content · date

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. tube — the underground
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. date — the fruit
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — happy
  17. tube — a container
  18. row — to paddle
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. stem — to come from
  23. content — the amount
  24. arm — 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