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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: rush · root · straw · present · wax · wound · foot · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wound — an injury
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. wax — to grow
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. wound — an injury
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. foot — a measure
  23. root — the cause
  24. straw — a straw man

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