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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: rest · wound · perch · drill · patient · kid · dip · toast

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. dip — to sink
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rest — what's left
  10. drill — army training
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rest — a break
  16. kid — to tease
  17. toast — bread
  18. drill — a practice
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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