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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: rule · press · branch · bulb · pop · season · jam · content

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pop — soda
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. pop — to visit
  5. press — a publisher
  6. content — the amount
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rule — government
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bulb — for light
  14. content — happy
  15. rule — a law
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. press — newspapers
  19. season — of the year
  20. bulb — for light
  21. season — in sport
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. branch — a division
  24. pop — music

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