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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: bass · rush · spell · stock · land · ground · temple · hide

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. spell — magic
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ground — the earth
  7. spell — letters
  8. stock — shares
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. land — ground
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. ground — crushed
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ground — a position
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. land — to come down
  20. rush — hurry
  21. land — a country
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bass — low music
  24. stock — goods

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