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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: roll · toast · chest · wind · saw · fork · stand · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. chest — a box
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. stand — to bear
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. roll — a cake
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. saw — the tool
  15. toast — bread
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. roll — a list
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chest — of your body
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wind — moving air
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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