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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: track · trunk · season · cell · staff · branch · net · board

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cell — a phone
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. branch — a division
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. track — a song
  10. board — to get on
  11. cell — in biology
  12. net — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. staff — employees
  17. net — for catching
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. board — a committee
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. track — to keep track
  23. net — after costs
  24. track — a path

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