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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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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: ground · can · wound · nail · bark · trunk · wax · stock

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. can — a tin
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. stock — shares
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stock — goods
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ground — a position
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. can — a tin
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. can — to be able to
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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