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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: land · swing · lie · shower · arm · suit · kid · root

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. shower — rain
  3. swing — in golf
  4. root — of a word
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — to fit
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kid — to tease
  10. shower — to wash
  11. land — ground
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. land — to come down
  16. kid — child
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. land — a country
  19. suit — in cards
  20. swing — music
  21. lie — to recline
  22. root — of a plant
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. root — the cause

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