It’s all about the context…

Shades of MeaningMultiple Meaning WordsPractice!!

Words with multiple meanings are words that have several

meanings depending upon how they are used in a sentence.

We use CONTEXT CLUES to help us figure out which meaningis correct.

Some Examples For Your Notes

pet I have a golden retriever for a pet Sarah and Jenny like to pet dogs

cut Bill has a cut on his finger Tom will cut out the pictures

color Green is my favorite color Tony will color in his coloring book

Some Examples For Your Notes

One word can have many meanings, so you must read carefully and use CONTEXT CLUES to figure out what the word means.

Let’s try some practice. You are going to read the sentence, and identify the

meaning of the underlined word. Then, choose the sentence that uses that word in the

SAME way.

1. Mary likes to come to my house and play with me.

A. He starred in our class play.

B. I like to play checkers.

C. My favorite play is "My Fair Lady." The correct answer is B.

                         

2. The peas were in a can.

A. I can do it by myself.

B. Can you help me do the dishes?

C. Mom gave me a can of peanuts for the party.

The correct answer is C.

                                                  

3. The sign said, “Do not enter.”

A. Please sign your name on the paper.

B. Can you sign the word cat?

C. I read the sign on the wall. The correct answer is C.

4. I have a new watch.

A. Did you watch me jump rope?

B. My watch is lost.

C. I don't watch many television shows! The correct answer is B.

5. I always receive good marks in school.

A. The marks on my report card were great!

B. My fingers left marks on the glass.

C. I have marks on my clothes where the milk spilled on them.

The correct answer is A.

Now on to…Shades of Meaning

Review: What does “shades of meaning” refer to?

Is there a difference… She was annoyed with her little brother. She was angry with her little brother.

Let’s take a closer look…

Would you say that these people are all ‘walking’?

THE BIG IDEAShades of Meaning is a phrase used to describe the small, subtle differences in meaning between similar words or phrases.

For example, ‘mad’ and ‘angry’. Both refer to a feeling or showing of anger, but one seems to be more so than the other.

Which one would you say is…?

THE BIG IDEA cont’d.-copy in your notes

Connotation is the attitudes and feelings associated with a word. These associations can be negative or positive, and have an important influence on style and meaning.

Denotation is the literal or dictionary definition of a word. Denotation contrasts with connotation.

Write the following sentences in your notebook!

Take a minute and write two sentences using the following words:

-old and ancient -try and struggle OR -chat and discussWhen you are finished, share your

sentences with a partner. Identify what the words denote and what they connote.

THE BIG IDEA cont’d.You are learning to understand the similarity and

difference between words that have similar meanings

You are also learning to explain those similarities and differences.

The differences may be in the negative or positive meanings of the words or the intensity, or degree, of the meanings

The similarities will be in the basic definition of the word

HERE’S HOW TO DO IT… for questions on the Benchmark:

1. Read the sentence.2. Use context clues to determine

the denotation, basic meaning, of the word being used in the sentence.

3. Determine the answer to the question by:

a) Circling the words in the sentence that help explain the meaning of the word

What To Remember:

Words with multiple meanings and words with shades of meaning both require that you carefully read the sentences and look for context clues

Try to understand what the sentence is trying to say

If you use this strategy you will be able to answer the questions correctly!

• REVISED 2013