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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
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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: hide · lean · sharp · squash · mug · stick · plane · roll

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. mug — a face
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. lean — thin
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. roll — a list
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. roll — a cake
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. lean — to bend
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. plane — a tool
  22. squash — the sport
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. roll — on a roll

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