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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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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: foot · bear · rule · deal · bulb · safe · cold · wound

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rule — government
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. foot — a measure
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rule — a law
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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