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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: stem · squash · stand · fall · straw · march · fan · cap

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stand — to bear
  10. fall — the season
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. march — music
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. cap — a lid
  20. march — the month
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. march — the month
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stem — to come from

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