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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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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: mine · stick · vault · trunk · lie · band · tear · shower

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. shower — rain
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. band — a ring
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. tear — from crying
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mine — for digging
  17. band — a music group
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — a safe
  24. shower — to wash

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