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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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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: bulb · hide · tear · rock · cabinet · pitch · board · lean

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. board — a committee
  6. rock — a stone
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. lean — thin
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lean — to bend
  22. board — to get on
  23. rock — music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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