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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: land · capital · bass · bank · stock · bear · bound · current

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bank — for money
  4. bound — obliged
  5. land — to come down
  6. capital — a city
  7. stock — goods
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bank — for money
  10. stock — shares
  11. capital — money
  12. current — electric
  13. bound — certain
  14. land — a country
  15. bass — the fish
  16. current — of water
  17. land — ground
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bass — low music
  20. bank — of a river
  21. current — happening now
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bear — the animal
  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