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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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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: content · can · charge · capital · snap · cap · spring · bank

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. content — the amount
  4. spring — of water
  5. charge — a price
  6. capital — money
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. can — a tin
  11. charge — electricity
  12. content — happy
  13. bank — for money
  14. cap — a hat
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bank — for money
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bank — of a river
  19. spring — the season
  20. charge — in control
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. spring — a coil
  23. can — a tin
  24. capital — a city

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