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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: march · branch · race · net · toast · field · foot · lash

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. field — for sport
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. race — the arms race
  9. toast — bread
  10. net — in sport
  11. march — the month
  12. field — a subject
  13. march — music
  14. net — for catching
  15. branch — a division
  16. march — the month
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. foot — a measure
  21. field — farmland
  22. race — a contest
  23. net — after costs
  24. race — humankind

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