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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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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: cabinet · capital · tube · saw · can · bulb · kid · pitcher

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. can — to be able to
  6. kid — child
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. kid — to tease
  19. tube — a container
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. can — a tin

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