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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: hide · net · mug · bowl · bark · saw · can · lean

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. net — in sport
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mug — to rob
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. can — a tin
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. net — for catching
  16. mug — a face
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. net — after costs
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lean — thin
  24. can — to be able to

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