Word Sleuth

This worksheet is designed for students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 to strengthen vocabulary comprehension and critical reading skills by focusing on words with multiple meanings. Students read sentences containing an underlined word, then examine a short, dictionary-style list of definitions to determine which meaning best fits the context. By relying on surrounding clues and careful reasoning, learners practice selecting precise meanings-an essential skill for accurate comprehension in more complex texts.

Learning Goals

• Context Clues & Word Meaning (Grades 3-5) – Use sentence clues to determine how a word is being used.
• Using Reference Materials – Practice reading and interpreting dictionary-style definitions.
• Vocabulary Development – Build awareness of multiple-meaning words and how meaning shifts by context.
• Critical Thinking & Precision – Evaluate options carefully to select the most accurate definition.

Instructional Support

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to support vocabulary and comprehension instruction.
• Dictionary-Style Practice – Prepares students for real reference skills used in upper grades.
• Clear, Structured Format – Makes meaning comparison accessible and student-friendly.
• Flexible Use – Ideal for literacy centers, independent work, small groups, homework, or intervention.
• No-Prep Format – Print-and-go worksheet for classroom or homeschool use.

This printable worksheet helps students become confident “word sleuths” who can analyze context and choose precise meanings rather than guessing. By matching sentences to correct definitions, learners strengthen vocabulary accuracy, reading comprehension, and reference skills that transfer across subjects. Whether used in a classroom or homeschool environment, this resource supports thoughtful reading, precise interpretation, and strong foundational vocabulary skills.

This worksheet is part of our Multiple Meaning Words Worksheets collection.