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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: tube · season · dip · capital · hide · mine · lean · arm

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. tube — the underground
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. mine — for digging
  9. tube — a container
  10. season — in sport
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. lean — thin
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. dip — to sink
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. season — of the year
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mine — an explosive

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