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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: march · temple · band · file · degree · cap · bass · ruler

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. degree — temperature
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. march — the month
  7. cap — of ice
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cap — a hat
  10. band — a music group
  11. bass — the fish
  12. degree — from a university
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. cap — a lid
  16. file — a tool
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. band — a ring
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. march — music
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. file — a document
  24. march — the month

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