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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: spring · current · stem · stock · deal · club · capital · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. current — electric
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. capital — a city
  6. current — happening now
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. club — for golf
  11. bound — certain
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. stem — to come from
  15. current — of water
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. club — for dancing
  18. capital — money
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bound — tied together
  22. deal — to handle
  23. club — a group
  24. spring — a coil

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