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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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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 · craft · mouse · can · lash · cold · bore · mark

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mark — a trace
  7. kid — to tease
  8. can — a tin
  9. craft — boats
  10. bore — to tire
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — not warm
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. can — to be able to
  22. mark — a grade
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. mouse — 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