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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.

Make a worksheet

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: roll · plane · prune · patient · pitch · calf · swing · wax

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pitch — completely
  11. roll — a list
  12. swing — in golf
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. swing — to play on
  16. roll — a cake
  17. swing — music
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. patient — a sick person

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