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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: arm · swing · march · spring · snap · trunk · lean · stem

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. march — music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. lean — to bend
  8. swing — to play on
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. swing — music
  11. spring — a coil
  12. snap — to click
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. spring — the season
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. march — the month
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. march — the month
  21. swing — in golf
  22. spring — of water
  23. lean — thin
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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