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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: face · net · safe · stand · content · spring · cabinet · cell

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. net — for catching
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. spring — a coil
  9. face — to point toward
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. content — happy
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cell — in biology
  18. spring — the season
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stand — to bear
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spring — of water

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