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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
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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: swing · saw · mine · bowl · calf · pass · spring · cap

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. swing — in golf
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pass — a permit
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. saw — the tool
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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