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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: patient · press · bear · pop · root · deal · face · march

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. press — a publisher
  5. deal — to handle
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pop — to visit
  11. press — to push
  12. face — part of the head
  13. march — music
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pop — music
  16. root — of a word
  17. face — to confront
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pop — soda
  22. root — of a plant
  23. face — to point toward
  24. root — the cause

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