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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: jam · stock · craft · land · cap · kid · degree · bear

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. land — a country
  3. degree — from a university
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bear — the animal
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. degree — temperature
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stock — goods
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stock — shares
  13. land — ground
  14. kid — child
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. kid — to tease
  17. craft — boats
  18. land — to come down
  19. craft — a skill
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cap — a hat

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