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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 116 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: lean · rule · kick · ground · bat · dip · plane · mouse

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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. mouse — the animal
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rule — government
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. lean — to bend
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. kick — in football
  19. rule — a law
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. dip — to sink
  24. plane — a tool

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