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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: game · kid · board · branch · mate · scale · net · season

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mate — a partner
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. net — in sport
  7. scale — in music
  8. game — a match
  9. board — to get on
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. scale — size or range
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. kid — to tease
  14. season — in sport
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. game — wild animals
  17. net — after costs
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mate — a friend
  21. season — of the year
  22. net — for catching
  23. mate — to breed
  24. kid — child

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