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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: content · shower · stock · bear · trunk · swing · can · racket

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stock — goods
  3. can — a tin
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. content — the amount
  7. can — to be able to
  8. content — happy
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. can — a tin
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bear — the animal
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. swing — to play on
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bear — the animal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. swing — in golf
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. swing — music
  24. trunk — of a tree

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