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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: prune · vault · bay · court · bulb · board · branch · capital

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bulb — for light
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. board — a committee
  13. bulb — for light
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. board — to get on
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. prune — to trim
  20. court — of law
  21. vault — a safe
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. court — for sport

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