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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: fall · kick · lean · bore · pop · rule · spring · firm

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. firm — a company
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pop — music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. lean — thin
  7. pop — soda
  8. firm — steady
  9. bore — to drill
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. firm — decided
  14. spring — the season
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. kick — in football
  17. fall — the season
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bore — to tire
  23. spring — of water
  24. fall — to drop

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