Homographs, Homonyms and Homophones

Homographs

Objective:
To help students understand and correctly use homographs, focusing on their meanings, pronunciations,
and usage in different contexts.

Lesson Outline:

1. Introduction to Homographs
   Goals:
    Define homographs and distinguish them from homophones and homonyms.
    Understand why context is important in determining the meaning of homographs.
   Activities:
2. Class Discussion:
   o Ask students for examples of words with multiple meanings.
   o Explain the definition of homographs: words that are spelled the same but have
   different meanings and/or pronunciations.
3. Examples on Board:
   o Write examples such as “lead” (to guide vs. a metal) or “tear” (to rip vs. a drop of liquid
   from the eye).
   o Discuss the meanings and pronunciations.
4. Identifying Homographs in Context
   Goals:
    Recognize homographs and determine their meanings based on sentences.
   Activities:
5. Sentence Matching:
   o Provide students with a list of sentences containing homographs.
   o Students work in pairs to identify the correct meaning of the homograph in each
   sentence.
   o Example: “She will lead the team” vs. “The pipes are made of lead.”
6. Group Discussion:
   o Discuss how context helps in identifying the correct meaning of homographs.
7. Pronunciation Practice
   Goals:
    Practice pronouncing homographs with different pronunciations.
   Activities:
8. Choral Reading:
   o Instructor reads homographs with different pronunciations (e.g., “bow” as in “take a
   bow” vs. “bow” as in “bow and arrow”).
   o Students repeat after the instructor.
9. Pair Activity:
   o Students pick a homograph and create sentences to demonstrate its different
   pronunciations and meanings.
   o Share with the class.
10. Creative Usage Activity
    Goals:
     Encourage students to use homographs creatively in writing and speaking.
    Activities:
11. Story Writing:
    o Students write a short story incorporating at least five homographs. Each homograph
    should be used in both of its meanings.
    o Example: “She shed a tear as she watched the paper tear in half.”
12. Homograph Role-Play:
    o In pairs, one student acts out one meaning of the homograph, and the other acts out
    the second meaning.
    o The class guesses the homograph.
13. Homograph Quiz
    Goals:
     Assess students’ understanding of homographs.
    Activities:
14. Multiple Choice Quiz:
    o Provide sentences with homographs, and students choose the correct meaning based
    on context.
15. Fill-in-the-Blank:
    o Students complete sentences with the appropriate form of a homograph.

Homonyms

Objective:
To help students identify, understand, and correctly use homonyms in speech and writing, focusing on
their meanings and the importance of context.

Lesson Outline:

1. Introduction to Homonyms
   Goals:
    Define homonyms and distinguish them from homophones and homographs.
    Understand the importance of context in determining the meaning of homonyms.
   Activities:
2. Class Discussion:
   o Ask students for examples of words with multiple meanings.
   o Explain the definition of homonyms: words that sound the same and are spelled the
   same but have different meanings.
3. Examples on Board:
   o Write examples such as “bat” (an animal vs. a piece of sports equipment) and “bank”
   (financial institution vs. river edge).
   o Discuss how the meaning is determined by context.
4. Identifying Homonyms in Context
   Goals:
    Recognize homonyms and determine their meanings based on sentences.
   Activities:
5. Sentence Matching:
   o Provide students with a list of sentences containing homonyms.
   o Students work in pairs to identify the correct meaning of the homonym in each
   sentence.
   o Example: “The bat flew out of the cave” vs. “He swung the bat at the ball.”
6. Group Discussion:
   o Discuss how context helps in identifying the correct meaning of homonyms.
7. Creative Usage of Homonyms
   Goals:
    Encourage students to use homonyms creatively in writing and speaking.
   Activities:
8. Story Writing:
   o Students write a short story incorporating at least five homonyms.
   o Example: “The bank of the river was quiet, but the bank in town was crowded.”
9. Homonym Skits:
   o In small groups, students create a short skit using homonyms in different contexts.
   o Perform the skits for the class.
10. Homonym Games
    Goals:
     Reinforce learning through fun and interactive activities.
    Activities:
11. Homonym Bingo:
    o Create bingo cards with homonyms, and call out sentences that hint at different
    meanings of the words.
    o Students mark the corresponding word on their cards.
12. Guess the Homonym:
    o One student gives clues about a homonym, and the class guesses the word.
    o Example: “I’m something you sit on, and I’m also a royal position” (answer: “chair”).
13. Homonym Quiz (15 minutes)
    Goals:
     Assess students’ understanding of homonyms.
    Activities:
14. Multiple Choice Quiz:

o Provide sentences with homonyms, and students choose the correct meaning based on
context.

2. Fill-in-the-Blank:
   o Students complete sentences with appropriate homonyms.

Homophones

Some words sound very much the same, but have different spellings. We call these words homophones. An example of this would be their and there. Though most speakers pronounce these words exactly the same way, these two words have completely different meanings.

Their shows possession or ownership.

There shows location.

Knowing the difference between their and there isn’t really that important when you are speaking, but it is very important when you are writing. Things can get pretty confusing for readers when a
writer chooses the wrong the word from a set of homophones

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Examples

“To” vs. “Too” vs. “Two”

• To has a few functions, but it’s mainly used as a preposition that means “in a direction towards.”
• Too can mean “in addition to,” “as well,” “extremely,” “excessively,” or “very.”
• Two refers to the cardinal number (2) which is the sum of one plus one.

○ Joshua and I are going to the mall.

○ She wanted a gift, too.

○ The young girl cried because she wanted two pieces of candy, but I only had
one.

Here and hear, See and Sea

• Here refers to a specific location in the present, as in your phone is right here.
• Hear is a verb that means perceiving sound or listening, such as I can’t hear you
• See refers to vision, which can be thought of as a mental image or perception,
  while sea is a term used to refer to a large body of salt water that’s smaller than an
  ocean.

Bear vs. Bare

Besides being the name of a big furry animal, bear functions as a verb. It means to tolerate, to carry something, or to endure.

Bare functions as an adjective or a verb.

• As an adjective, it can mean minimal, naked, uncovered, or without supplies.
• The verb bare means to reveal or open something to view.

The grizzly bear seemed friendly, but we wisely kept our distance. C

She could hardly bear the thought of selling her beloved vintage car. C

It is too cold to go outside with bear arms. I