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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: bat · mate · trunk · cell · prune · wax · pass · file

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cell — a phone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. file — a line of people
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cell — in biology
  17. file — a document
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mate — a friend
  22. file — a tool
  23. pass — a permit
  24. trunk — of a car

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