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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 116 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: pound · season · mate · can · face · kid · press · patient

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. can — a tin
  7. kid — to tease
  8. press — newspapers
  9. season — of the year
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mate — to breed
  13. kid — child
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mate — a partner
  16. press — to push
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. press — a publisher
  20. season — in sport
  21. can — a tin
  22. mate — a friend
  23. face — part of the head
  24. can — to be able to

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