First Grade English: Multiple-Meaning Words
Have you ever heard someone talk about a "bat," and you weren't sure if they meant a furry winged mammal flying through the night sky, or a heavy wooden stick used to hit a baseball over the fence? In the English language, many words are shape-shifters that wear multiple hats! These words are called multiple-meaning words (or homographs). A multiple-meaning word has one single spelling and pronunciation, but holds two or more completely different meanings. In this chapter, you will master the art of using sentence clues to tell these meanings apart.
What Are Multiple-Meaning Words?
A multiple-meaning word is a single word that possesses several distinct definitions depending on how it is used in a sentence.
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| THE MULTIPLE-MEANING TREE |
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| |
| [ B A T ] |
| |
| / \ |
| v v |
| Meaning 1 Meaning 2 |
| A flying nocturnal A wooden club used |
| mammal with wings to strike a baseball |
| |
| "The brown bat slept "Liam swung the bat |
| upside down in cave." and hit a home run." |
| |
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The Chameleon Words
Think of multiple-meaning words like chameleons! A chameleon changes its color to match the tree branch it sits on. A multiple-meaning word changes its definition to match the sentence it lives in!
Famous First-Grade Multiple-Meaning Words
Let us explore several of the most common multiple-meaning words that first-grade scholars meet in their reading.
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| MULTIPLE-MEANING GALLERY |
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| Word | Meaning A | Meaning B |
| -------+-------------------------------+-------------------|
| bark | The sound a dog makes | The rough wooden |
| | | skin of a tree |
| bark | "The puppy gave a loud bark." | "The birch tree |
| | | has white bark." |
| -------+-------------------------------+-------------------|
| ring | Jewelry worn on a finger | The sound of a bell|
| ring | "She wore a golden ring." | "Did the bell ring?"|
| -------+-------------------------------+-------------------|
| fly | A tiny buzzing insect | To soar in the air|
| fly | "A fly buzzed by the window." | "Eagles fly high."|
| -------+-------------------------------+-------------------|
| wave | Moving your hand to say hello | A rolling crest of|
| | | ocean water |
| wave | "I saw my friend wave." | "The ocean wave |
| | | splashed the sand."|
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Noun vs. Verb Meanings
Notice that many multiple-meaning words can be a noun (a thing) in one sentence, and an action verb (doing something) in another sentence! In "The bird landed on the watch," watch is a noun (a clock worn on your wrist). In "I will watch the fireworks," watch is an action verb (looking with your eyes).
Using Context Clues to Determine the Meaning
How do you know which definition the author intends? You must inspect the context words surrounding the mystery word!
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| CONTEXT DETECTIVE IN ACTION |
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| |
| Sentence: "Carlos glued a postage **stamp** onto the |
| corner of the envelope." |
| |
| Possible Meanings of STAMP: |
| 1. To stomp your foot heavily on the floor. |
| 2. A small sticky piece of paper for mailing letters. |
| |
| Clues in Sentence: "glued", "corner of the envelope". |
| Correct Meaning: Meaning 2 (postal sticker)! |
| |
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Testing the Definitions
Whenever you meet a multiple-meaning word, mentally slide both definitions into the sentence. Which one makes realistic sense? Does it make sense to glue a foot stomp onto an envelope? No! Does it make sense to glue a paper postal sticker onto an envelope? Absolutely!
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Read each sentence and state which meaning of the bolded word is being used: Sentence A: The brown dog began to bark at the mail carrier. Sentence B: A woodpecker tapped its beak against the rough tree bark. Sentence C: Please duck down so the ball does not hit your head. Sentence D: A yellow duck splashed happily in the pond.
Exercise 2: The word "scale" has multiple meanings: it can mean the shiny skin of a fish, or an instrument used to weigh heavy objects. Write two sentences, using one meaning of "scale" in each sentence.
Exercise Solutions
Solution to Exercise 1: In Sentence A, "bark" means the vocal sound made by a dog. In Sentence B, "bark" means the outer wooden covering of a tree trunk. In Sentence C, "duck" means an action of bending down low to avoid being hit. In Sentence D, "duck" means a feathered swimming water bird.
Solution to Exercise 2: A student could write: Sentence 1 (fish skin): The shiny silver scale fell off the goldfish as it swam. Sentence 2 (weighing instrument): The doctor stepped onto the scale to check how heavy the patient was.