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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 · wind · mate · land · mug · straw · rest · content

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mate — a partner
  5. content — the amount
  6. rest — what's left
  7. land — to come down
  8. mug — a face
  9. content — happy
  10. land — ground
  11. mate — to breed
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wind — moving air
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rest — a break
  21. land — a country
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mate — a friend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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