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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: band · press · root · racket · firm · swing · arm · dip

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. root — of a plant
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. band — a music group
  7. press — a publisher
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. firm — a company
  11. band — a ring
  12. firm — steady
  13. swing — music
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. root — the cause
  17. dip — to sink
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. press — newspapers
  20. swing — to play on
  21. press — to push
  22. root — of a word
  23. swing — in golf
  24. firm — decided

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