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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 · fine · lie · lean · patient · hand · wound · game

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. fine — all right
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fine — high quality
  17. lean — thin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lean — to bend
  20. toast — bread
  21. hand — help
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. game — wild animals
  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