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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: craft · race · firm · bark · degree · land · bore · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bore — to tire
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. craft — boats
  6. race — a contest
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. land — a country
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. degree — temperature
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. land — ground
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bore — to drill
  17. craft — a skill
  18. firm — a company
  19. land — to come down
  20. firm — decided
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. firm — steady
  24. bark — of a tree

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