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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: cabinet · kid · temple · bear · bore · craft · degree · vault

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. craft — boats
  2. kid — child
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. craft — a skill
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bore — to tire
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — an amount
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. degree — from a university
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bear — the animal
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. degree — temperature
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. craft — a handicraft

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