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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · plane · pop · land · bear · kick · lean · ground

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. ground — a position
  6. land — to come down
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ground — the earth
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pop — music
  12. kick — in football
  13. ground — crushed
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. tear — from crying
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pop — soda
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. tear — to rip
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bear — the 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