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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: season · cold · deal · safe · can · sharp · bore · stem

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. can — a tin
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cold — an illness
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. season — in sport
  11. can — to be able to
  12. season — of the year
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bore — to drill
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. can — a tin
  20. sharp — clever
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. deal — to handle
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. sharp — exactly

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