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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · craft · trunk · bark · mine · ground · bore · cell

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cell — in biology
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bark — to shout
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. craft — boats
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. ground — crushed

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