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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fine — high quality
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chest — a box
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bank — for money
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bank — for money
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bark — to shout
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. foot — a measure
  23. kid — child
  24. chest — of your body

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