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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: snap · spell · branch · chest · fan · charge · content · face

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. spell — letters
  4. chest — a box
  5. charge — in control
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. charge — electricity
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. face — to confront
  10. branch — a division
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chest — of your body
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. chest — of your body
  15. charge — a price
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. spell — a short time
  21. face — part of the head
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. spell — magic
  24. fan — a supporter

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