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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. craft — boats
  3. dip — to sink
  4. can — to be able to
  5. net — for catching
  6. bank — for money
  7. kid — child
  8. bank — of a river
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. net — in sport
  13. bank — for money
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. can — a tin
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. net — after costs
  22. can — a tin
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. craft — a skill

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