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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: object · patient · suit · chest · tear · foot · rash · cap

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. suit — clothes
  5. suit — to fit
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chest — a box
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chest — of your body
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rash — a series
  12. cap — a lid
  13. suit — in cards
  14. foot — a measure
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cap — of ice
  18. rash — hasty
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. object — an aim
  21. tear — from crying
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chest — of your body

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