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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: dip · lean · shower · swing · pop · row · arm · degree

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. degree — an amount
  3. swing — in golf
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. degree — from a university
  7. row — to paddle
  8. swing — to play on
  9. lean — thin
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. shower — rain
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pop — soda
  15. degree — temperature
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lean — to bend
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. row — a line
  21. swing — music
  22. pop — music
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pop — to visit

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