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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · hide · pass · bat · bore · craft · mine · land

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mine — for digging
  10. land — to come down
  11. craft — boats
  12. land — a country
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. land — ground
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bore — gave birth

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