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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 120 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 · nail · bark · season · capital · prune · court · ruler

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. court — of a king
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bark — to shout
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. branch — a division
  7. season — of the year
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. capital — money
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. court — for sport
  17. season — in sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. court — of law
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. nail — for a hammer

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