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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: safe · cold · leaves · mark · bulb · deal · season · spring

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bulb — for light
  7. season — of the year
  8. spring — of water
  9. mark — a grade
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. spring — the season
  15. season — in sport
  16. mark — a trace
  17. spring — a coil
  18. deal — to handle
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mark — to pay attention

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