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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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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: ground · mark · bear · pop · wax · dip · club · trunk

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. club — a group
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mark — a grade
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pop — music
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mark — a trace
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pop — soda
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. ground — crushed
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. wax — to grow

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