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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 · mine · stem · bore · sharp · lash · bound · perch

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bound — certain
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. club — a group
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mine — for digging
  22. club — for dancing
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stem — of a plant

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