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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: foot · mate · wake · lean · bowl · bat · patient · chest

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chest — of your body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. lean — thin
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. lean — to bend

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