Both answers seem right to my child. What now?

That's the sign to hunt for the deciding word. Cover the choices and ask what's happening in the sentence: who is there, where are they, what are they doing? One meaning will stop making sense. The choices only look equal when the sentence hasn't been read closely.

Why do these words exist at all?

English recycles. Some pairs grew apart from one root (a river bank was once a ridge, like a bank of earth); others collided from different languages. Kids don't need the history, but "the word got reused" is a satisfying answer to why.

4th grade multiple-meaning words

4th grade multiple-meaning words worksheets

Fourth graders meet meanings that live in different worlds: a court for tennis and a court for a judge, a draft of an essay and a draft under the door. Choosing correctly is context-clue reading with the training wheels off, and it doubles as vocabulary growth.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.4.4.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.

The pitcher threw a perfect strike. Here, “pitcher” means . a large jug for pouring drinks · a player who throws the ball
Answer: a player who throws the ball
Notes sit on the lines of the staff. Here, “staff” means . the lines music is written on · the people who work somewhere
Can you spell the word “necessary”? Here, “spell” means . a short period of time · to write letters in order

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 4th grade sheet

4th grade sheets draw from 60 sentences, 10 to a page. None of these sentences are on 3rd grade sheets.

Some of the answers:

a small piece of landto rush at somethingbelonging to mea part of the school yeara single musical soundnew and unusualan early version of writinga leader’s group of advisersa paper that pays moneya stick that makes fire

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

Flip the exercise at the dinner table: give the word, ask for two sentences with two different meanings. Producing both is harder than picking one and locks the pair in. Dictionary side-trip: multiple meanings are numbered under one entry; show how deep bank or spring goes.

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 4th grade multiple-meaning words

Both answers seem right to my child. What now?: That's the sign to hunt for the deciding word. Cover the choices and ask what's happening in the sentence: who is there, where are they, what are they doing? One meaning will stop making sense. The choices only look equal when the sentence hasn't been read closely.
Why do these words exist at all?: English recycles. Some pairs grew apart from one root (a river bank was once a ridge, like a bank of earth); others collided from different languages. Kids don't need the history, but "the word got reused" is a satisfying answer to why.

Related worksheets

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Aligned to Common Core L.4.4.a. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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