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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: can · wax · mine · bear · prune · trunk · charge · drill

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mine — for digging
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bear — the animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. can — a tin
  7. wax — to grow
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. can — to be able to
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. charge — a price
  15. drill — army training
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. drill — the tool
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. can — a tin

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