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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: bank · court · net · current · last · root · tear · vault

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. last — finally
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. root — of a word
  5. net — in sport
  6. last — to go on
  7. bank — of a river
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. last — final
  11. root — of a plant
  12. net — after costs
  13. root — the cause
  14. court — for sport
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bank — for money
  17. net — for catching
  18. current — electric
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bank — for money
  22. current — of water
  23. vault — a safe
  24. tear — from crying

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