Ideas for Teaching Multiple Meaning Words
Learning words with multiple meanings is important for students at the K-12 levels because these words appear on many standardized tests. Though learning the words is usually easy, students may struggle with them during exams because of the confusing format of the questions. Assisting students in learning about multiple meaning words in an enjoyable and investigative way can help them to retain the knowledge.
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Introducing Words
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Involving students from the beginning will encourage motivation and spark an interest in the theme of multiple meaning words. Teachers can present words by writing them on a board or chart. Students then brainstorm the various meanings they can think of for each word. For example, teachers could start with a simple word that students use often, such as "right."
Mind Map
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Mind maps use pictures and descriptions to help students remember the meanings of words. Students start by writing the word they are learning with its multiple definitions, and they illustrate these with an image, for example "conviction," meaning both a strong belief and the situation of being found guilty. This technique can help students who are visual learners to recollect the vocabulary later.
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Exam Style Practice
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The teacher can create exam style questions, based on the information covered, to familiarize students with the question format. Exams often use multiple-choice questions that involve choosing the correct word. The question will consist of two sentences with a blank. The same word fits in both sentences but has a different meaning, such as: We are going to take a "blank" at midday, and If you drop that glass it will "blank," followed by four options, including the word "break."
Quizzes
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Interactive quizzes are available on the Internet for learning multiple meaning words. These are perfect for individual learners and students who enjoy worksheet activities. Alternatively, teachers can create their own worksheets, based on these games, for work in the classroom. Ideas include giving students two separate definitions and asking them to think of the word that fits both. Also, the opposite exists, where students have to think of all the meanings for a word. The students can start with the possible definitions, or they can write their own. Teachers can create variations on these games, such as matching and writing activities.
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