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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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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: kick · leaves · plane · racket · stick · tear

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. tear — from crying
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. kick — in football

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