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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: chip · present · mine · bear · kick · hide · fork · trunk

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chip — for betting
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. present — a gift
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. kick — in football
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bear — the animal

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