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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: rule · deal · lean · fork · file · trunk · hide · lie

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. fork — a garden tool
  2. rule — a law
  3. lean — thin
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. fork — in a road
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. deal — to handle
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rule — government
  22. lie — to recline
  23. file — a tool
  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