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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.

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: wake · leaves · pit · hide · lean · net · wound · chest

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lean — thin
  3. net — after costs
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — for catching
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pit — in a race
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. net — in sport
  23. chest — a box
  24. pit — a hole

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