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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: toast · temple · pound · trunk · wound · clip · squash · patient

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. squash — the sport
  3. clip — for paper
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. clip — a video
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. toast — bread
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. squash — to crush
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wound — an injury
  23. clip — to cut
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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