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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: rock · current · court · bear · wake · saw · file · roll

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — of a king
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. file — a tool
  5. rock — music
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rock — a stone
  8. file — a line of people
  9. current — happening now
  10. file — a document
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bear — the animal
  15. roll — a list
  16. court — of law
  17. roll — a cake
  18. current — electric
  19. court — for sport
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. current — of water
  22. bear — the animal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. roll — on a roll

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