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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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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 · cue · ruler · spring · capital · branch · prune · pound

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. pound — a weight
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cue — for pool
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cue — a signal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spring — of water
  17. cue — a hint
  18. branch — a division
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. prune — to trim
  22. capital — money
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rule — a law

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