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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: wake · fall · straw · trunk · content · stand · hide · chip

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. chip — for betting
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. content — happy
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stand — to bear
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. straw — a straw man

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