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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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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: toast · pound · hand · file · patient · swing · bowl · bear

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. file — a line of people
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. toast — bread
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. file — a document
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bear — the animal
  12. swing — to play on
  13. file — a tool
  14. hand — help
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. swing — music
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bowl — a dish

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