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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: wake · current · perch · track · straw · trunk · saw · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. track — a song
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. field — for sport
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. current — electric
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. current — of water
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. current — happening now
  20. saw — the tool
  21. field — farmland
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. track — a path
  24. saw — the tool

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