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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: sharp · fall · bound · stem · spring · bore · plane · mug

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — to drill
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. plane — a tool
  6. sharp — clever
  7. fall — to drop
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fall — the season
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mug — a face
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bound — tied together
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bound — certain
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bound — obliged
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. spring — the season
  24. bore — gave birth

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