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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. file — a tool
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bound — obliged
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. file — a document
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bark — to shout
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. toast — bread
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mouse — for a computer

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