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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: toast · roll · shower · stick · straw · snap · march · fan

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. march — the month
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. roll — a list
  14. toast — bread
  15. march — the month
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. march — music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. shower — rain
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. roll — a cake

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