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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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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: cue · clip · bark · craft · degree · deal · hand · bear

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. craft — boats
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. hand — in cards
  12. degree — temperature
  13. hand — help
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. craft — a skill
  16. degree — from a university
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. clip — for paper
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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