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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: mark · sharp · date · bark · march · root · key · lean

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mark — a trace
  5. root — of a word
  6. march — the month
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. key — the most important part
  9. march — the month
  10. key — in music
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mark — a grade
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bark — to shout
  16. march — music
  17. sharp — clever
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. lean — thin
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bark — 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