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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 · rash · rest · rush · root · mouse · prune · snap

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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 — to hurry
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. field — for sport
  6. rush — hurry
  7. field — a subject
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. snap — to click
  11. rash — a series
  12. root — of a plant
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rest — what's left
  20. root — of a word
  21. field — farmland
  22. root — the cause
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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