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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: club · stand · fall · hide · chip · wound · stick · fork

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fall — the season
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. stand — to bear
  9. club — for dancing
  10. chip — for betting
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. club — for golf
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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