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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: wave · dip · mine · bear · content · rush · wind · last

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. content — the amount
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. content — happy
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. last — final
  24. content — videos and posts

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