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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · toast · suit · march · rash · wake · spring · coach

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rash — a series
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. suit — to fit
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spring — the season
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. suit — clothes
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. suit — in cards
  16. march — the month
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. march — the month
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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