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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: fine · bark · mark · trunk · ground · wax · bank · net

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bank — for money
  6. bark — to shout
  7. net — for catching
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. net — after costs
  15. bank — of a river
  16. fine — all right
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wax — to grow
  19. net — in sport
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. ground — a position
  24. bank — for money

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