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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 120 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: snap · bound · deal · lie · bass · capital · tear · patient

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. bound — tied together
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bound — obliged
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tear — to rip
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. capital — money
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. lie — to recline
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. snap — to click
  19. bound — certain
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. tear — from crying
  23. capital — a city
  24. deal — an agreement

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