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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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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: band · ruler · root · current · tear · pitcher · court · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. court — of a king
  3. tear — to rip
  4. court — for sport
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. deal — to handle
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. current — happening now
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. root — of a plant
  14. court — of law
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. current — of water
  18. band — a music group
  19. root — the cause
  20. current — electric
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. root — of a word
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. band — a ring

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