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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: swing · sharp · perch · calf · coach · rush · prune · root

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. swing — in golf
  6. sharp — clever
  7. root — of a word
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. swing — to play on
  11. root — the cause
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rush — hurry
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. root — of a plant
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. prune — to trim
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. swing — music
  24. rush — a thrill

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