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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: field · prune · present · kid · leaves · perch · root · rush

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. prune — to trim
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. present — the time now
  9. prune — to trim
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. kid — child
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rush — hurry
  17. field — farmland
  18. root — of a word
  19. present — a gift
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. root — the cause
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. present — there

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