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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: court · mark · lean · stand · tube · cell · safe · tear

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. lean — to bend
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. court — of a king
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mark — a grade
  10. tube — a container
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. tear — to rip
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stand — to bear
  16. court — of law
  17. lean — thin
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cell — in biology
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cell — a phone
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. court — for sport
  24. mark — a trace

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