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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 120 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: dip · pitcher · leaves · chest · wound · rest · cabinet · kick

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rest — a break
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. kick — in football
  11. rest — what's left
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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