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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: object · capital · stock · perch · march · rule · branch · court

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. march — music
  3. object — a thing
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. object — to protest
  7. march — the month
  8. stock — shares
  9. rule — government
  10. object — an aim
  11. capital — a city
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. march — the month
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. capital — money
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. branch — a division
  20. stock — goods
  21. court — for sport
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of 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