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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: mine · season · foot · craft · pitcher · tear · bear · kid

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. craft — a skill
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. kid — to tease
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. foot — a measure
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bear — the animal
  13. craft — boats
  14. kid — child
  15. mine — for digging
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. season — in sport
  20. tear — from crying
  21. season — of the year
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. craft — a handicraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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