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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 · staff · press · snap · bulb · rash · rule · pop

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. staff — employees
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pop — music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. staff — a stick
  8. branch — a division
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rule — a law
  13. rash — a series
  14. pop — soda
  15. rule — government
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. press — newspapers
  19. staff — employees
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. snap — to click
  24. rule — to rule out

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