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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: stick · march · hand · stand · rest · leaves · toast · track

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. hand — in cards
  4. track — a song
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hand — help
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. march — the month
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — bread
  14. stand — to bear
  15. march — music
  16. track — a path
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. march — the month
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. leaves — of a tree

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