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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.

Make a worksheet

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: band · degree · pitcher · lash · march · temple · fork · cabinet

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. degree — an amount
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. march — music
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. band — a music group
  16. degree — temperature
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fork — in a road
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. band — a ring
  24. fork — a garden tool

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