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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: capital · firm · jam · ball · cap · wax · season · root

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. firm — decided
  3. cap — a lid
  4. firm — steady
  5. cap — of ice
  6. ball — a dance
  7. root — of a plant
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. root — of a word
  11. season — of the year
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. root — the cause
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wax — to grow
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. cap — a hat
  22. season — in sport
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. firm — a company

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