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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 · rash · capital · bulb · season · present · rush · cabinet

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. present — a gift
  3. bulb — for light
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rash — a series
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. branch — a division
  9. capital — money
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. season — in sport
  15. capital — a city
  16. present — there
  17. rash — hasty
  18. present — the time now
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. season — of the year

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