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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: kid · lie · tube · capital · spring · bass · deal · can

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. kid — child
  3. lie — to recline
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. capital — a city
  6. spring — of water
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. capital — money
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tube — the underground
  11. can — a tin
  12. deal — to handle
  13. spring — a coil
  14. can — a tin
  15. tube — a container
  16. bass — low music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. can — to be able to
  19. spring — the season
  20. bass — the fish
  21. kid — to tease
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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