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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 116 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: staff · shower · bay · pound · stem · swing · trunk · row

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. swing — in golf
  4. staff — employees
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. swing — music
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. staff — employees
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. shower — to wash
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. row — a line
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. pound — a weight
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stem — to come from

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