You can read the title, but does it make sense?  Of course not!  It should read:  “Which Homonym Would You Choose?”   Obviously, using the correct word when writing is very important.  However, deciding on which spelling to use can be very difficult for students.  Here I will introduce you to homonyms and provide you with some games to solidify your young writer’s understanding.

Homonyms are words that sound the same but have different meanings, and often different spellings.

There are many sets of words in English that have very different meanings from one another, but are often confused because they sound the same. These  sets of words are called homonyms. Here are some of them (there are many more, but this will get you started) :

It’s: The contraction for it is

Its: The possessive of it

Wait: Allow a time interval

Weight: Poundage on a scale

I’ll: The contraction for I will

Aisle: Walking space between seats

I: Me

Eye: What we use to see with

There: In that location

Their: Belongs to them

Seam: Sew something together

Seem: Appear to be

Hole: Represents a missing piece

Whole: The entire thing, with nothing missing

Light: Something that shines

Lite: Light (in weight)

Bite: A piece of food

Byte: A unit of information (on the computer)

Write: Apply pencil to paper (for instance)

Right: Correct

Sight: The ability to see

Site: Location

Cite: Acknowledge

Intoduce your student to homonyms, giving these and/or other examples.  Use them in sentences to demonstrate how context can help decide which spelling to use.  Since games are a wonderful learning tool for children, I have searched down a few for you to enjoy.

For younger students:

Make picture to word matching cards. On one card (index or smaller) draw a picture (Ex: an eye), then write out the word on a separate card.  Do the same for the word’s homonym(s) (Ex:  I, a picture of me).  Do this for as many homonyms as you have reviewed with your student, and let them go to work matching the pictures to the words.

Make homonym dominoes. If you don’t know the basic concept of playing dominoes, this may be confusing.  Consult the original game or someone who plays.  Cut index cards in half lengthwise.  On one end write a homonym (Ex:  sum).  On the other end write an unrelated homonym (Ex:  ate).   Take a second card and write one of the related  homonyms (Ex:  some) and an unrelated homonym (Ex:  ten).  Take a third and write the second related homonym match on one end (Ex:  eight) and an unrelated homonym on the other end (Ex:  win).   Continue this pattern, using as many homonyms as you wish for your student to learn.

To Play:

• Share dominoes equally among players.
• Players take turns to put down a domino matching a word with another word which sounds the same, but has a different meaning.
• The first player to put down all their dominoes or who has the least number left, is the winner.

Extended Lesson:

• Get students to look up and compare the definition of each homonym in a dictionary.
• Ask students to say a sentence using both homonyms. (Ex:  I bought medicine for my eye.)

For Older Students:

Go here to get a description of the game Horrid Homonyms.  This is for a classroom, but is easily adaptable to the home school.

Online Games:

BBC Skillwise has a great Fact Sheet to teach concepts, Online Quiz, and Matching Game with sound.

Quia has several games and a word search.

Go here for a great online “choose the correct homonym” game.

Enjoy!  Remember to write me at Contact HMHS to submit any questions related to Language Arts!  I will answer them in upcoming blogs.

Big Den

To discuss Homonyms and other Homeschooling topics and ideas, please visit our Homemade Homeschoolers discussion forum.