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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: chip · hide · sharp · firm · field · trunk · stick · can

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. sharp — clever
  3. field — farmland
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. field — for sport
  11. chip — to eat
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — a subject
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. firm — a company
  16. chip — for betting
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. firm — decided
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. can — a tin
  23. firm — steady
  24. can — a tin

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