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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 120 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: club · sharp · kick · mug · bound · pound · stem · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. bound — tied together
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mug — a cup
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bound — certain
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mug — a face
  21. club — for dancing
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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