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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 116 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: squash · mate · board · key · wind · branch · bore · club

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wind — moving air
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bore — to drill
  8. board — to get on
  9. wind — moving air
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mate — to breed
  13. board — a committee
  14. club — for dancing
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bore — to tire
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. key — in music
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. squash — to crush
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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