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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · chip · bat · craft · bark · fine · mine · coach

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bat — the animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bear — the animal
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bark — to shout
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. craft — boats
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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