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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 116 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 · can · tube · hand · land · hide · fall · racket

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fall — to drop
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. lean — thin
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — a container
  15. can — to be able to
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. tube — the underground
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. fall — the season
  21. land — a country
  22. lean — to bend
  23. hand — help
  24. fall — to drop

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