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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: kick · bank · coach · fine · tear · clip · plane · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bank — for money
  10. fine — all right
  11. bank — of a river
  12. kick — in football
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bank — for money
  19. spring — a coil
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fine — high quality
  22. clip — a video
  23. spring — the season
  24. coach — a trainer

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