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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: spring · degree · last · hide · can · safe · season · content

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. degree — temperature
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. can — a tin
  5. season — in sport
  6. can — to be able to
  7. degree — an amount
  8. spring — the season
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. spring — of water
  13. content — happy
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. can — a tin
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. last — finally
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. degree — from a university
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — final
  22. spring — a coil
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. hide — to keep secret

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