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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: ground · deal · band · root · charge · land · hand · roll

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. hand — help
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. ground — a position
  7. charge — a price
  8. hand — in cards
  9. land — to come down
  10. roll — a list
  11. root — of a plant
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. land — ground
  14. root — of a word
  15. roll — a cake
  16. deal — to handle
  17. land — a country
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. root — the cause

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