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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: fan · tube · stick · rush · can · wake · squash · march

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. tube — a container
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. march — the month
  17. can — to be able to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. squash — to crush

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