Multiple-Meaning Word Puzzles
In Lesson 6, students explore words that have more than one meaning. To deepen understanding, they create a playful puzzle by intentionally misconstruing a multiple-meaning word — drawing a picture that shows the wrong meaning in a humorous way.
This activity helps students think critically about context and word choice while adding creativity to vocabulary study. When finished, display the drawings on a bulletin board titled "Multiple-Meaning Word Fun!" or "Mis-Steak-Ables Multiple-Meaning Words" so classmates can guess each word's intended meaning.
Directions for Students
- Choose a word that has two or more meanings.
- Sketch a scene that shows one meaning in a silly or unexpected way.
- Label your drawing with the word.
- Challenge classmates to guess the other meaning.
Example Words to Assign
- bark — a tree shouting at a dog
- ring — a boxing ring shaped like an engagement ring
- jam — peanut butter and jelly stuck in a traffic jam
- train — a locomotive lifting weights
- bat — a baseball bat hanging upside down like an animal
- glasses — drinking glasses wearing eyeglasses
- pound — a scale trying to lift weights
- story — a building telling a tale
- flower — someone blowing air at a flower pot
- match — a matchstick playing tennis
Encourage students to color their drawings and add captions or speech bubbles for extra humor. The finished display becomes a lively visual reminder that words can have more than one meaning — and that language learning can be creative and fun.