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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 120 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: pound · mine · hide · file · charge · bulb · rule · row

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pound — a weight
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rule — government
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — a price
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. charge — electricity
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rule — a law
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. file — a document
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bulb — for light
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. row — a line

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