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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: swing · stem · mine · shower · rule · degree · arm · lash

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. swing — music
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. shower — rain
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. stem — to come from
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rule — government
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rule — a law
  23. shower — to wash
  24. swing — to play on

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