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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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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: key · cue · season · chip · tear · capital · ground · wax

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cue — a hint
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. key — for a lock
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wax — to grow
  8. capital — a city
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cue — for pool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. key — in music
  18. season — in sport
  19. cue — a signal
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. capital — money
  24. tear — from crying

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