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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 120 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: calf · wake · cap · band · staff · spring · swing · mine

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wake — a trail
  5. swing — in golf
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cap — a hat
  9. band — a ring
  10. staff — employees
  11. cap — a lid
  12. spring — a coil
  13. swing — to play on
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. staff — employees
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. staff — a stick
  18. band — a music group
  19. swing — music
  20. spring — of water
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. calf — a young animal

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