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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: lean · hide · stem · band · bore · fork · bowl · bat

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bore — to tire
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. band — a ring
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. lean — thin
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. fork — in a road

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