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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: band · charge · season · root · arm · stock · deal · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. charge — in control
  3. season — in sport
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. band — a ring
  6. root — of a plant
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. stock — shares
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. band — a music group
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a word
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — electricity
  21. stock — goods
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mine — an explosive

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