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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: kid · fork · bark · firm · craft · pass

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. craft — boats
  3. kid — to tease
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — decided
  7. craft — a skill
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. firm — steady
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pass — a permit
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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