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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: hide · dip · stem · mate · can · lean · hand · scale

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. mate — to breed
  3. hand — in cards
  4. can — to be able to
  5. mate — a friend
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. dip — to sink
  10. lean — to bend
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. hand — help
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. stem — to come from
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mate — a partner
  20. lean — thin
  21. scale — in music
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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