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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 116 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 · firm · bear · tube · spring · mark · craft · bore

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bore — to drill
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. spring — of water
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bore — to tire
  9. firm — a company
  10. tube — a container
  11. craft — boats
  12. firm — decided
  13. spring — the season
  14. craft — a skill
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bear — the animal
  17. firm — steady
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. kid — child
  24. mark — a trace

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