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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: tear · stick · plane · dip · kick · straw

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. tear — from crying
  7. dip — to sink
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. tear — to rip
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. kick — in football
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry

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