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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 116 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: fall · cue · clip · swing · snap · prune · last · fork

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. last — to go on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. last — final
  5. snap — to click
  6. swing — music
  7. cue — a signal
  8. clip — for paper
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. swing — to play on
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fall — the season
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. prune — to trim
  16. last — finally
  17. clip — to cut
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fall — to drop
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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