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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: bark · swing · shower · row · root · arm · mouse · lash

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. root — the cause
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. swing — in golf
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bark — to shout
  10. row — a line
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. row — to paddle
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. swing — to play on
  18. root — of a word
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. swing — music
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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