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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 · perch · game · pound · current · wound · nail · leaves

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. game — wild animals
  3. perch — the fish
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wound — an injury
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pound — a weight
  11. game — a match
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wound — an injury
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. track — a song
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. current — electric
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. track — a path

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