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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · charge · calf · patient · lie · deal · net · field

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. field — a subject
  4. charge — a price
  5. net — for catching
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lie — to recline
  10. charge — in control
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. field — farmland
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. net — in sport
  15. deal — to handle
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. net — after costs
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. field — for sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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