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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 116 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: safe · bowl · fan · pound · sharp · row · rule · prune

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rule — a law
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pound — for dogs

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