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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: content · pitcher · chest · trunk · deal · bore · patient · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bore — to tire
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. chest — of your body
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. content — the amount
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. deal — to handle
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. content — happy
  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