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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 116 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: shower · tear · content · can · trunk · bank · lie · race

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. race — a contest
  3. can — a tin
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bank — of a river
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. shower — rain
  12. bank — for money
  13. content — happy
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bank — for money
  16. tear — to rip
  17. lie — to recline
  18. race — humankind
  19. can — to be able to
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. race — the arms race
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tear — from crying
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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