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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chest — a box
  3. toast — bread
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. squash — to crush
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bark — to shout
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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