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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: toast · present · field · lash · degree · trunk · mark · bank

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mark — a trace
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bank — of a river
  11. toast — bread
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. present — a gift
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bank — for money
  16. field — farmland
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. present — there
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mark — a grade
  21. present — the time now
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bank — for money
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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