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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: field · bear · rash · net · lash · file · branch · toast

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rash — a series
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. net — in sport
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. field — a subject
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. file — a tool
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. net — after costs
  14. field — for sport
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. file — a document
  17. net — for catching
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. field — farmland
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. branch — a division

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