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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: stock · hide · lean · bass · lie · hand · can · safe

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. hand — in cards
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bass — low music
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. can — a tin
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hand — help
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lie — to recline
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. stock — goods
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. lean — thin
  24. bass — the fish

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