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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: stand · tear · toast · chip · fan · stem · mug · key

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mug — to rob
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mug — a face
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chip — for betting
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mug — a cup
  15. key — in music
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stem — to come from
  18. tear — to rip
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. chip — to eat

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