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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: wax · bore · can · mine · firm · ground · lean · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. lean — to bend
  3. firm — a company
  4. mine — for digging
  5. firm — decided
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. can — to be able to
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. firm — steady
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. ground — crushed
  17. lean — thin
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ground — a position
  21. can — a tin
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mine — an explosive
  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