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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: straw · track · roll · march · wake · fan · pass · firm

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. firm — a company
  5. march — the month
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. march — the month
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. march — music
  15. firm — steady
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. roll — a cake
  19. pass — a permit
  20. track — a song
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. firm — decided
  23. roll — a list
  24. straw — dry grass

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