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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: date · board · tear · trunk · net · leaves · branch · field

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. tear — from crying
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. tear — to rip
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. tear — from crying
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. board — to get on
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. date — the fruit
  19. net — in sport
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. field — for sport
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. board — a committee
  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