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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: saw · fork · chest · lean · racket · toast · row · wound

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. row — to paddle
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. lean — to bend
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wound — an injury
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. saw — the tool
  14. row — a line
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. toast — bread
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lean — thin
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fork — in a road

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