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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: plane · root · key · last · march · spell · sharp · scale

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. spell — letters
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. root — the cause
  5. plane — a tool
  6. key — for a lock
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. root — of a word
  10. spell — magic
  11. key — in music
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. scale — size or range
  15. march — the month
  16. last — final
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. march — music
  21. root — of a plant
  22. key — the most important part
  23. spell — a short time
  24. march — the month

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