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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: swing · arm · net · pop · shower · fall · nail · root

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. root — of a plant
  3. net — after costs
  4. swing — in golf
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pop — to visit
  7. swing — to play on
  8. net — in sport
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fall — the season
  11. swing — music
  12. net — for catching
  13. root — of a word
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. fall — to drop
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pop — soda
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pop — music
  21. root — the cause
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. shower — rain
  24. arm — part of the body

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