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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: nail · wound · march · chest · foot · can · lash · toast

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. toast — bread
  3. chest — of your body
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. foot — a measure
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wound — an injury
  9. march — the month
  10. chest — of your body
  11. can — to be able to
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. march — the month
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. can — a tin
  18. chest — a box
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. march — music
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. can — a tin

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