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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: temple · arm · stem · band · row · racket · bark · swing

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. row — a line
  4. bark — to shout
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — to play on
  7. band — a music group
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. swing — music
  13. band — a ring
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stem — to come from
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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