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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
468
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 · calf · current · pop · cap · scale · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pop — to visit
  5. spring — a coil
  6. cap — a lid
  7. current — of water
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. current — electric
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spring — the season
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pop — soda
  16. cap — a hat
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. spring — of water
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pop — music
  22. current — happening now
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. scale — in music

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