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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: file · hide · rule · trunk · wound · kick · bear · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. net — for catching
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. file — a document
  8. net — after costs
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rule — government
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. file — a tool
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. file — a line of people
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rule — a law
  24. kick — in football

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