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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: mark · wound · rush · leaves · chest · kid · toast · saw

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. wound — an injury
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. chest — a box
  5. rush — hurry
  6. chest — of your body
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mark — a grade
  13. chest — of your body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wound — an injury
  17. saw — the tool
  18. kid — child
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. toast — bread
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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