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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: lean · chest · hide · can · row · track · roll · fall

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. can — to be able to
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. can — a tin
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. row — a line
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lean — thin
  14. roll — a list
  15. track — a song
  16. row — to paddle
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. roll — a cake
  19. fall — the season
  20. lean — to bend
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chest — of your body

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