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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 · squash · firm · stock · hand · craft · tear · mouse

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. craft — boats
  4. firm — steady
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. squash — the sport
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. hand — in cards
  17. firm — a company
  18. craft — a skill
  19. stock — shares
  20. hand — help
  21. firm — decided
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. stock — goods
  24. squash — to crush

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