Explain to students that there are words in the English language that have two or more meanings. Quote examples such as "fair," "rose" and "watch." Explain that although these words may have multiple meanings, the spelling and pronunciation is the same. The students will then look to you to solve what appears to be a frustrating problem. Tell them they must infer the exact meaning of a multiple meaning word from the context. They must look at how a writer uses the word in a sentence.
Choose a book that all the students can relate to. The book can be about any subject. Ensure each student has a copy. Before you introduce the book to the students, leaf through it and find six words that have two meanings. Mark the pages and sentences in which these words occur.
Create a multiple meaning word guide. This takes the form of a simple table on one side of a sheet of paper. Draw four columns across the top and six down the side. Write headings for each column: "Page," "Word," "Book Meaning," and "Other Meaning." Fill in the first column with the page numbers of the six multiple meaning words you have located in the book. Complete the second column with the word. Copy the guide and distribute it to each student.
Ask a student to read aloud the sentence in the book in which the first multiple meaning word appears. Discuss with the students what the word means in the context of the sentence. If there is confusion, ask a student to read not just the sentence but the paragraph in which the word appears. When everyone is clear about the correct meaning of the word, discuss the context. Ask students to identify the context clues that identify what the word means.
Ask students for the second meaning of the word. Discuss why this meaning is not appropriate in the context of the sentence. Request that everyone writes down the the two meanings in columns marked "Book Meaning" and "Other Meaning" on the multiple meaning guide. Repeat the exercise for the other five multiple meaning words words you found in the book. To close the session, ask students to write two sentences for each of the six words. The first set of sentences must use the words according to their meanings in the context of the book. The second set of sentences must use a context that reflects the words' other meanings.