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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: content · clip · degree · spell · wave · temple · lean · perch

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lean — thin
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. degree — an amount
  6. content — happy
  7. lean — to bend
  8. perch — the fish
  9. content — the amount
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spell — a short time
  15. clip — a video
  16. spell — magic
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. clip — to cut
  19. spell — letters
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. degree — from a university
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. temple — a place of worship

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