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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: stock · trunk · shower · cabinet · wave · tear · rush · tube

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stock — goods
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rush — hurry
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. shower — to wash
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. tube — a container
  15. shower — rain
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stock — shares
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. stock — a soup base

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