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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 120 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: safe · wound · snap · stand · cell · net · tube · court

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wound — an injury
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stand — to bear
  8. court — for sport
  9. cell — a phone
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. net — for catching
  13. snap — to click
  14. net — in sport
  15. cell — in biology
  16. tube — a container
  17. wound — an injury
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. net — after costs
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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