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

Word bank: wind · chest · drill · bear · toast · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. chest — a box
  3. drill — army training
  4. bear — the animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. toast — bread
  10. firm — decided
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chest — of your body
  18. firm — a company

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