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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 · kick · dip · chest · board · patient · lash · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. chest — of your body
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. wind — moving air
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. board — a committee
  9. kick — in football
  10. board — to get on
  11. toast — bread
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. chest — of your body
  16. dip — to sink
  17. chest — a box
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. toast — the most admired
  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