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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: wound · row · deal · vault · last · current · root · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. last — final
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. root — of a word
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. root — the cause
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. root — of a plant
  12. deal — to handle
  13. row — a line
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. last — finally
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. last — to go on
  23. vault — a safe
  24. current — happening now

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