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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: nail · branch · bowl · pitch · field · race · lash · roll

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. roll — a list
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pitch — completely
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. race — a contest
  7. field — for sport
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. field — farmland
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. race — humankind
  18. roll — a cake
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. race — the arms race
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pitch — a sports field

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