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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: pound · mine · file · current · lash · pop · saw · row

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pop — soda
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. current — electric
  7. saw — the tool
  8. row — a line
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. current — happening now
  13. saw — the tool
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pop — to visit
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pound — a weight
  22. current — of water
  23. pop — music
  24. mine — belonging to me

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