If you’re anything like me you want your students to build their vocabulary and become stronger readers, but also have a few laughs along the way. If so, you’re in the right place, because this article is all about double-your-fun ideas for playing around with multiple meaning words AKA homographs.
What Are Multiple Meaning Words?
Before we dive into the fun, let’s quickly review what multiple-meaning words are. These are words that have more than one meaning, depending on the context in which they are used. For example, last week it HAILED at my house damaging my car, so this morning I HAILED a taxi to get to work while my car was in the shop. Well….it was an Uber but you see what I mean. By exploring homographs, students sharpen their understanding of language and enhance their reading comprehension skills.
Creative Ways to Play with Homographs:
Multiple Meaning Words Face Off:
Oftentimes, the two different meanings of a word are also two different parts of speech. Make a stack of homograph word cards that can be either a noun or a verb depending on which meaning is being used. Have a pair of students face off by drawing a word card. Give the students a few seconds to think about the word, its two different meanings, and the part of speech for each meaning. Then flip a coin. If it lands on heads, the students will race to come up with a sentence that uses the word as a noun. If the coin lands on tails, the students will race to use the word in a sentence as a verb.
Double Charades:
Put a twist on the classic game with this multiple meaning words version. Instead of one actor at a time, you’ll need a pair of actors for each word. Secretly give your pair of hams a multiple meaning word and assign each one a different meaning to act out. Have the pair simultaneously act out their version of the homograph, while the rest of the group guesses what the secret word is. This game is super fun and fosters teamwork, communication skills, and vocabulary development at the same time. It’s so fun, you might be able to use it during indoor recess!
The Password Is….
To show your students how to play this game, pull up a youtube clip of the game show Password. The original version aired in the 60s and 70s, but it’s recently been rebooted with Jimmy Fallon as the host. For the classroom, I like the oldie-but-goodie because the kids get a kick out of seeing that little slice of fashion history. Once your class sees how the game is played, set up your own version of Password using multiple meaning words and challenge the contestants to give clues about both meanings.
What Multiple Meaning Word Am I?:
Challenge students to identify the different meanings of multiple meaning words using these homograph words task cards full of riddles or create your own riddles. This activity hones their inference skills and strengthens their ability to comprehend complex texts. Once students get the hang of this activity, challenge them to write their own riddles and challenge their classmates to solve them.
Homograph Heroes:
Who’s a little creative writing comic book fun? In my experience, the answer to that question is literally “every 4th grader.” Tap into their interests by challenging students to create a hero character using a multiple meaning word as inspiration. One definition of the word can be the hero’s superpower and the other can be the hero’s kryptonite. Then have students write a story featuring their homograph hero. Don’t forget to let them illustrate their hero too. For example, a hero might have a superpower where his arms transform into bats that can super swing to send a villain into the metaverse, but he might be deathly afraid of flying mammal bats.
So, go ahead and have a little fun with multiple meaning words…it’s double the fun and double the learning!! It might feel like playing, but you’ll be developing critical thinking and robust vocabulary in the process! Ready for more ideas for incorporating vocabulary practice into your daily routines? Click on over…