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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: rush · suit · staff · mine · season · wave · wind · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mine — for digging
  3. content — happy
  4. suit — in cards
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. suit — to fit
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. suit — clothes
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. content — the amount
  15. season — in sport
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rush — hurry
  19. staff — employees
  20. season — of the year
  21. wind — moving air
  22. staff — employees
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. staff — a stick

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