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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rash · rest · field · shower · trunk · prune · toast · mine

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. prune — to trim
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rest — what's left
  9. shower — rain
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rash — a series
  18. shower — to wash
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mine — for digging
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. toast — bread
  23. rash — hasty
  24. field — for sport

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