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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. kid — child
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wake — a trail
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bank — for money
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cold — not warm
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bank — of a river
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bank — for money
  23. cold — an illness
  24. craft — a handicraft

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