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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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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: prune · calf · swing · root · fall · mate · file · face

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. prune — to trim
  3. swing — to play on
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mate — a partner
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fall — the season
  11. file — a tool
  12. mate — a friend
  13. root — the cause
  14. prune — to trim
  15. file — a document
  16. mate — to breed
  17. file — a line of people
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. swing — music
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. face — to confront

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