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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: plane · dip · stick · tear · kick · net · scale · season

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. tear — from crying
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. kick — in football
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. season — of the year
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. tear — to rip
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. season — in sport
  17. dip — to sink
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. net — in sport
  21. plane — a tool
  22. scale — in music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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