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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: kid · dip · scale · bear · object · wake · march · craft

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. march — the month
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kid — child
  6. object — a thing
  7. scale — in music
  8. march — music
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. wake — a trail
  12. craft — a skill
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. object — an aim
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. scale — size or range
  20. object — to protest
  21. bear — the animal
  22. march — the month
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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