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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.

Make a worksheet

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: lean · hide · march · mine · staff · temple

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. march — the month
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. staff — a stick
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. march — the month
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. staff — employees
  12. lean — thin
  13. mine — for digging
  14. march — music
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. staff — employees
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lean — to bend

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