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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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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: hand · nail · rush · bass · lean · mate · last · hide

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. lean — to bend
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hand — help
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. last — final
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lean — thin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. rush — hurry
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bass — the fish

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