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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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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: racket · fall · prune · mate · swing · march · root · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. mate — a partner
  5. root — of a word
  6. march — music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mate — to breed
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. swing — to play on
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. march — the month
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fall — the season
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. march — the month
  22. mate — a friend
  23. root — the cause
  24. fall — to drop

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