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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: branch · chest · can · fan · pop · temple · charge · file

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pop — soda
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. can — to be able to
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. chest — of your body
  9. charge — electricity
  10. chest — a box
  11. charge — a price
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. chest — of your body
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. can — a tin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pop — to visit
  18. charge — in control
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. can — a tin
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. file — a tool
  23. pop — music
  24. file — a document

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