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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: row · date · season · shower · march · wax · capital · key

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. march — the month
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. season — of the year
  7. key — for a lock
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. row — to paddle
  10. capital — a city
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. capital — money
  14. march — the month
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wax — to grow
  17. date — the fruit
  18. march — music
  19. key — in music
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. row — a line
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. row — a quarrel

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