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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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Word bank
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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: bear · bound · chest · rash · toast · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. toast — bread
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bear — the animal
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bound — certain
  10. rash — a series
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chest — a box
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. rash — hasty

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