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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: toast · wind · kid · chair · craft · bear

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. craft — a skill
  4. kid — child
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. craft — boats
  13. toast — bread
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. 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