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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: mug · roll · rush · stand · bat · march · fall · wave

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fall — the season
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. roll — a list
  6. mug — a cup
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. march — music
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bat — the animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. mug — a face
  17. stand — to bear
  18. roll — a cake
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mug — to rob
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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