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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: row · bore · pound · stem · deal · fan · safe · sharp

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. stem — to come from
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. sharp — clever
  6. row — a line
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. deal — to handle
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. row — to paddle
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bore — to drill
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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