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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: wake · toast · leaves · stick · rock · mug · bat · straw

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mug — a face
  5. wake — a trail
  6. toast — bread
  7. bat — the animal
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mug — a cup
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mug — to rob
  16. rock — a stone
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rock — music
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bat — for baseball

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