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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 120 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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Word bank
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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 · craft · pound · bay · pop

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pop — soda
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. fork — in a road
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. craft — a skill
  16. kid — child
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pop — music

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