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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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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 · hide · present · stand · bank · degree · craft · firm

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. present — a gift
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bank — for money
  8. stand — to bear
  9. firm — steady
  10. bank — for money
  11. present — there
  12. degree — an amount
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. craft — boats
  18. firm — a company
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. kid — child
  22. firm — decided
  23. present — the time now
  24. hide — animal skin

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