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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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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: calf · lean · kick · tear · plane · lie · march · stick

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. tear — to rip
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. tear — from crying
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. march — music
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lie — to recline
  20. kick — in football
  21. plane — a tool
  22. lean — thin
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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