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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · pit · hide · lean · bass · roll · tear · plane

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. can — a tin
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. lean — to bend
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. tear — from crying
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pit — in a race
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. tear — to rip
  13. roll — a cake
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bass — low music
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bass — the fish
  21. roll — a list
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. roll — on a roll

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