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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: net · hide · lean · bat · ground · nail · dip · bore

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. net — after costs
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ground — a position
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. lean — to bend
  12. ground — crushed
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. net — in sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bat — the animal
  22. net — for catching
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. dip — to sink

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