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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.

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: lie · mine · net · march · lean · rush · capital · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. lean — to bend
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. net — after costs
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rush — hurry
  17. capital — money
  18. lean — thin
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. capital — a city
  21. march — music
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. net — for catching
  24. hide — to keep secret

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