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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: safe · jam · bulb · content · season · leaves · chest · pop

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bulb — for light
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. season — of the year
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. pop — to visit
  13. season — in sport
  14. content — the amount
  15. pop — music
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. content — happy
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chest — a box
  22. pop — soda
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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