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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: chest · toast · nail · drill · bulb · patient · bay · rush

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rush — hurry
  4. chest — of your body
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. drill — a practice
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chest — a box
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bulb — for light
  18. drill — the tool
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. drill — army training
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. toast — bread
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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