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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.

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: fan · temple · charge · land · capital · content · cabinet · wound

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. content — happy
  3. capital — money
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. capital — a city
  6. charge — a price
  7. content — the amount
  8. charge — in control
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. land — a country
  18. charge — electricity
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. temple — a place of worship

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