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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: pound · cue · tube · fall · deal · spring · kid · toast

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cue — a hint
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cue — a signal
  10. toast — bread
  11. kid — to tease
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. spring — of water
  15. cue — for pool
  16. fall — the season
  17. pound — a weight
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fall — to drop
  23. tube — a container
  24. pound — to hit hard

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