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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: board · kid · mine · branch · last · scale · mate · key

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. kid — to tease
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mine — for digging
  8. last — to go on
  9. mate — to breed
  10. board — a committee
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. key — the most important part
  15. scale — in music
  16. branch — a division
  17. key — in music
  18. last — final
  19. scale — size or range
  20. kid — child
  21. board — to get on
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. last — finally
  24. key — for a lock

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