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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: degree · kid · hide · craft · bank · firm · bear · sharp

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. degree — an amount
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bank — for money
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bear — the animal
  9. degree — temperature
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bear — the animal
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — a company
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. firm — decided
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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