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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 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tube — the underground
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bank — for money
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mark — a grade
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. craft — boats
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. tube — a container
  17. kid — child
  18. bank — of a river
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bank — for money
  24. bulb — of a plant

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