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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 · lean · bat · kick · toast · tube · hide · stem

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stem — to come from
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. chip — for betting
  7. tube — a container
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lean — thin
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. kick — in football
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. chip — to eat
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bat — the animal
  17. lean — to bend
  18. toast — bread
  19. tube — the underground
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. hide — to keep secret

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