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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.

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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: roll · scale · saw · prune · swing · game · calf · mate

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. scale — size or range
  9. swing — music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — wild animals
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mate — to breed
  14. swing — to play on
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. game — a match
  17. scale — in music
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. swing — in golf
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. prune — to trim
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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