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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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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: wind · root · current · fork · cue · deal · leaves · club

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. current — of water
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. club — for golf
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fork — in a road
  17. club — a group
  18. root — the cause
  19. current — happening now
  20. root — of a word
  21. current — electric
  22. club — for dancing
  23. cue — for pool
  24. root — of a plant

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