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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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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: leaves · kick · straw · bear · hide · stem · foot · chip

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bear — the animal
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. foot — a measure
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. kick — in football
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chip — for betting
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chip — to eat
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. hide — animal skin

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