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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.

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: spell · last · board · scale · straw · root · march · wax

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wax — to grow
  3. root — the cause
  4. spell — magic
  5. scale — size or range
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. spell — letters
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. board — to get on
  11. last — finally
  12. scale — in music
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. spell — a short time
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. root — of a plant
  17. last — final
  18. board — a committee
  19. march — the month
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. march — the month
  23. root — of a word
  24. march — music

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