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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: date · stock · arm · current · bound · last · content · bear

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. last — final
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. last — to go on
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. stock — shares
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. last — finally
  12. bear — the animal
  13. content — the amount
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bound — certain
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stock — goods
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. current — electric
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. content — happy
  22. bound — tied together
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bear — to put up with

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