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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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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: prune · straw · cue · trunk · bear · mark · clip · lash

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mark — a grade
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cue — a signal
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. clip — to cut
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bear — the animal
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mark — a trace
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. clip — a video

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