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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: fork · kid · chip · hide · ruler · bear · bound · wake

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — a trail
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bound — certain
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bound — obliged
  22. chip — for betting
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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