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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: fall · pitcher · hide · bark · chip · stem

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stem — to come from
  5. chip — to eat
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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