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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 120 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: lean · mouse · stock · drill · mine · hide · track · ball

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. stock — shares
  4. ball — a great time
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. drill — army training
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. track — a song
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. track — a path
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. drill — the tool
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. drill — a practice
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. ball — a dance

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