Hi there! I am Studyfin, your learning buddy. Today we are going to explore words that have more than one meaning!
Some words look the same but have different meanings. We call these multiple-meaning words. To find the right meaning, we look at the other words around them.
Let's look at the word 'bat'. A bat can be a flying animal that loves the night. Or, a bat can be a wooden stick used to hit a baseball.
We use context clues to find the correct meaning. Context clues are the words and sentences around our tricky word. They act like secret clues in a mystery!
✏️ Worked example
Find the meaning of the word 'bark' in this sentence: 'The rough bark of the old oak tree scratched my hand.'
Read the whole sentence carefully to find clue words.
Look at the word 'bark'. It can mean the sound a dog makes, or the outer skin of a tree.
Find the clue words in the sentence. The clues are 'rough', 'old oak tree', and 'scratched'.
Think about the clues. A dog's sound is not 'rough' to touch, and a dog is not an 'oak tree'.
An oak tree is a plant, and trees have a rough outer layer.
Decide on the meaning. Here, 'bark' means the outer covering of a tree.
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