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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 120 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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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: trunk · pass · pit · plane · wake · bat · cell · calf

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pit — a hole
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. cell — a phone
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pit — in a race
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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