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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: chip · swing · stand · hand · cell · safe · branch · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. tube — the underground
  5. branch — a division
  6. hand — help
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chip — to eat
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. swing — to play on
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. hand — in cards
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. swing — in golf
  18. cell — in biology
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. swing — music
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stand — to bear
  24. safe — out of danger

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