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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · mate · land · prune · straw · swing · scale · calf

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mate — a partner
  3. prune — to trim
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. swing — music
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mate — a friend
  11. scale — in music
  12. stem — to come from
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. mate — to breed
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. land — a country
  21. scale — size or range
  22. land — ground
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stem — of a plant

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