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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: toast · craft · net · scale · chest · wake · patient · bear

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. net — in sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wake — a trail
  6. chest — a box
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. scale — size or range
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. net — after costs
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. craft — boats
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. net — for catching
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bear — the animal
  21. scale — in music
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. toast — bread
  24. patient — a sick person

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