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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: rush · court · bear · roll · spell · vault · current · tear

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. current — electric
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. current — of water
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. spell — letters
  10. current — happening now
  11. roll — a list
  12. rush — hurry
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bear — the animal
  20. tear — to rip
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. court — of law

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