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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 120 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 laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chest — a box
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fine — high quality
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wound — an injury
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wound — an injury
  24. tube — a container

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