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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: pass · capital · season · pitch · press · fan · branch · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. bulb — of a plant
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pass — a permit
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. capital — a city
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. press — to push
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. capital — money
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. season — in sport
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. season — of the year
  23. bulb — for light
  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