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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · plane · track · kid · kick · mine · lean · march

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. lean — thin
  3. kick — in football
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. march — the month
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. kid — child
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mine — for digging
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. track — a path
  15. march — music
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. track — to keep track
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. march — the month
  23. plane — a tool
  24. lean — to bend

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