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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 120 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: court · wake · clip · root · sharp · current · rush · bank

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. current — of water
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rush — hurry
  8. current — happening now
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. clip — a video
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. current — electric
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bank — of a river
  18. court — of law
  19. root — of a word
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bank — for money
  22. court — for sport
  23. bank — for money
  24. sharp — clever

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