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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: cell · chip · fork · object · mouse · hide · lean · pop

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. chip — to eat
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. object — to protest
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. pop — to visit
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pop — music
  16. cell — in biology
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. object — a thing
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pop — soda
  23. object — an aim
  24. cell — a phone

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