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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: rock · foot · toast · tear · bound · cap · patient · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. rock — music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hand — help
  10. cap — a lid
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. bound — certain
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bound — obliged
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cap — of ice
  22. toast — bread
  23. rock — a stone
  24. hand — in cards

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