Multiple-Meaning Words

Some of the trickiest words on the test are ones you already know. A short, common word like “bank” or “light” can mean several different things, and the test likes to check whether you can pick the right one for the sentence at hand.

Multiple-meaning words are words that have more than one definition, where only the surrounding context tells you which meaning applies. “Bark” can be a dog’s sound or a tree’s covering; “current” can mean up-to-date or a flow of water. The sentence around the word decides which meaning is correct.

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One Word, Several Meanings

English is full of multiple-meaning words, and they are usually ordinary ones. Take “light”: it can mean not heavy (“a light bag”), not dark (“a light room”), or to set on fire (“light a candle”). Take “run”: you can run a race, run a business, or have a run in your sock. Because these words look identical every time, you cannot tell the meaning from the word alone — you have to read what surrounds it. On the test, a question might quote a sentence and ask what a word means “as used in this passage.” That phrase is your signal that the word has several meanings and only one fits here. The rest of the sentence holds the answer.

Letting Context Decide

The way to choose the right meaning is to lean on context. Read the full sentence and ask what makes sense given the topic. In “The strong current pulled the swimmer downstream,” the words “swimmer” and “downstream” tell you “current” means a flow of water, not “up-to-date.” A useful trick is to test each possible meaning in the sentence and keep the one that fits. If you try “up-to-date current pulled the swimmer,” it makes no sense, so you drop it. Pay special attention to the nouns and verbs nearby, since they usually point to the correct meaning. This is the same skill as using context clues, aimed at a word you already know rather than one you have never seen.

Watch: A Short Video Lesson

Literacy How gives a clear overview to go with this lesson:

A Routine for Multiple-Meaning Words

1. Notice when a common word could mean more than one thing.
2. Read the full sentence for the topic and situation.
3. Test each possible meaning in the sentence.
4. Keep the meaning that makes the sentence sensible.

Practice

1. What is a multiple-meaning word?
2. Give two meanings of the word “light.”
3. Why can’t you tell the meaning from the word alone?
4. What test phrase signals a multiple-meaning word?
5. In “the strong current pulled the swimmer,” what does “current” mean?
6. Which nearby words usually point to the correct meaning?

Answers

1. A word that has more than one definition.
2. Any two of: not heavy, not dark, to set on fire.
3. The word looks the same for every meaning.
4. “As used in this passage.”
5. A flow of water.
6. The nearby nouns and verbs.

Where This Fits in Your RLA Prep

This skill grows out of using context clues and leads into denotation and connotation. See every topic on the Language Arts Prep Hub.

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