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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.

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 · kid · squash · current · cold · press · craft · ball

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. press — to push
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. squash — to crush
  5. craft — boats
  6. cold — not warm
  7. ball — a dance
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. current — electric
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. current — of water
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. squash — the sport
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cold — an illness
  20. current — happening now
  21. kid — child
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. squash — the vegetable

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