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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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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: bound · press · pass · hand · capital · perch · branch · bulb

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bulb — for light
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bound — certain
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. capital — a city
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bound — tied together
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hand — help
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. branch — a division
  18. press — a publisher
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. press — to push
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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