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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: tear · craft · ground · mug · trunk · date · wax · pound

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. pound — a weight
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. ground — crushed
  7. tear — from crying
  8. craft — a skill
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wax — to grow
  12. ground — a position
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. date — the fruit
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mug — a face
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wax — in the ear

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