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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: spring · mine · bowl · foot · scale · kid · swing · pass

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. scale — in music
  4. pass — a permit
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mine — for digging
  13. swing — in golf
  14. scale — size or range
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. spring — the season
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. swing — music
  21. spring — of water
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. swing — to play on
  24. kid — child

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