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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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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 · kid · face · mark · field · branch · lash · cabinet

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. face — to confront
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. face — to point toward
  7. field — a subject
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. face — part of the head
  10. field — farmland
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mark — a trace
  13. branch — a division
  14. toast — bread
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mark — a grade
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cabinet — ministers

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