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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: track · bound · saw · wound · current · net · trunk · row

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. saw — the tool
  6. row — a line
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bound — certain
  14. row — to paddle
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. saw — the tool
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. bound — obliged
  22. net — after costs
  23. current — electric
  24. wound — an injury

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