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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: fork · wound · safe · season · deal · bulb · lash · content

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — in sport
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. season — of the year
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. deal — to handle
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. content — happy
  17. fork — in a road
  18. content — the amount
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. season — to add flavour

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