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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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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: leaves · plane · tear · bulb · ground · spring · lean · kick

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kick — in football
  5. bulb — for light
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. plane — a tool
  10. lean — to bend
  11. tear — to rip
  12. ground — the earth
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. spring — the season
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lean — thin
  20. spring — a coil
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. ground — a position
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. spring — of water

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