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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · march · tube · stick · mug · toast · safe · tear

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. toast — bread
  7. march — the month
  8. mug — a face
  9. march — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. tube — the underground
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. tear — to rip
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. march — the month
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. tear — from crying

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