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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: arm · wake · cold · press · lie · dip · mate · wax

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wake — a trail
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wax — to grow
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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