What are multiple-meaning words called in school?

You'll see homographs (same spelling), homonyms (same spelling and sound), or just multiple-meaning words. Teachers use the last one most because it says exactly what it means. Whatever the label, the skill is the same: let the sentence pick the meaning.

How is this different from context clues?

Context-clue work figures out a word your child doesn't know. Here your child knows both meanings already; the job is choosing between them. It's the same evidence-reading muscle, pointed at a different decision.

3rd grade multiple-meaning words

3rd grade multiple-meaning words worksheets

Multiple-meaning words (teachers also say homographs) are single spellings doing several jobs: bark, ring, trunk, light. Third graders read a sentence and pick which meaning the word carries there, using the neighboring words as evidence.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.3.4.a.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of sentences you'll get

Read each sentence. Circle the letter of the meaning the word has in that sentence.

Grandpa’s watch keeps perfect time. Here, “watch” means . a small clock for the wrist · to look closely at things
Answer: a small clock for the wrist
She swung the bat and hit a home run. Here, “bat” means . a club for hitting · a small flying animal
My pen ran out of blue ink. Here, “pen” means . a tool for writing · a fenced area for animals

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 3rd grade sheet

3rd grade sheets draw from 60 sentences, 10 to a page. None of these sentences are on 2nd grade sheets. 2nd grade sheets print 8 to a page.

Some of the answers:

a hand signalto look at somethinga coil of metala crowd stuck togetherthe side of a rivera childto stumble and falla symbol of the alphabetthe season after summera place that keeps money

Which meaning?. Read each sentence. Circle the letter of the meaning the word has in that sentence. 10 questions per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Ask for the evidence word: which neighbor proved it was the animal bat? Naming the clue matters more than the right answer. For a wobbly word, act out both meanings; a body that has flapped like a bat and swung like a bat keeps them straight.

Watch for: Both answer choices are real meanings of the word; that's the point. The question is never which meaning exists, only which one this sentence uses. The clue is rarely the word itself and almost always its neighbors: cave and flew for the animal bat, swung and home run for the wooden one.

Common questions about 3rd grade multiple-meaning words

What are multiple-meaning words called in school?: You'll see homographs (same spelling), homonyms (same spelling and sound), or just multiple-meaning words. Teachers use the last one most because it says exactly what it means. Whatever the label, the skill is the same: let the sentence pick the meaning.
How is this different from context clues?: Context-clue work figures out a word your child doesn't know. Here your child knows both meanings already; the job is choosing between them. It's the same evidence-reading muscle, pointed at a different decision.

Related worksheets

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Aligned to Common Core L.3.4.a. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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