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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 120 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: row · stem · swing · last · rash · wave · arm · trunk

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. row — a line
  4. last — final
  5. swing — to play on
  6. last — finally
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. last — to go on
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rash — a series
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. swing — music
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rash — hasty

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