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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: lean · hide · pitcher · ground · sharp · content · row · stock

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. content — the amount
  3. row — to paddle
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ground — the earth
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stock — goods
  9. lean — thin
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. content — happy
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. ground — a position
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. row — a line
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stock — shares
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. row — a quarrel

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