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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: kick · bound · spring · saw · face · patient · plane · march

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. spring — a coil
  3. kick — in football
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. march — music
  6. face — to point toward
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bound — obliged
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. face — part of the head
  12. march — the month
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bound — tied together
  17. spring — the season
  18. bound — certain
  19. march — the month
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spring — of water
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. saw — the tool
  24. face — to confront

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