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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: can · pop · wound · ground · fall · mine · present · wax

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. present — there
  5. can — to be able to
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wax — to grow
  12. can — a tin
  13. present — the time now
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fall — the season
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ground — a position
  19. can — a tin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mine — for digging
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pop — soda

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