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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: craft · mouse · hand · saw · bulb · mug · stock · kid

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mug — a face
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. craft — boats
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. kid — child
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. hand — help

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