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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bank — of a river
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lean — to bend
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. can — a tin
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. can — a tin
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bank — for money
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. band — a ring
  21. lean — thin
  22. band — a music group
  23. bank — for money
  24. hide — animal skin

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