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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: straw · plane · wake · trunk · cell · squash · racket · calf

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cell — a phone
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. squash — the sport
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cell — in biology
  22. plane — a tool
  23. squash — to crush
  24. trunk — of a tree

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