At the end of a game on multiple-meaning words, students should be able identify the sense of a word in context. They should also be able to use the various senses of a word in their own sentences. Optional objectives of multiple meaning word games include identifying or providing antonyms and synonyms for word meanings. These are all attainable goals for the fourth grade.
Competitions engage students by encouraging them to try their best. Teachers can organize a contest similar to a spelling bee where students guess all the senses of a word. If they guess wrong, they sit down; if they guess correctly they return to the back of a line and stay in the game. In another game, teachers divide the class into teams, giving each team an envelope with a stack of definitions, including all the senses of multiple-meaning words. On the back of each definition, the teacher writes the team number or name. On the board, the teacher prints all the vocabulary words in big letters with an envelope under each one. Teams race to put definitions in the correct envelope. After, the teacher pulls out each one and sees which team guessed the most definitions correctly. Alternatively, students can race to create sentences for each sense of a word, which the teacher can check for correctness afterward.
Many websites offer games that allow students to practice words with multiple meanings. Often these games target specific grade levels, such as grade four. Grade-four students can play these games on library or classroom computers (if available) and even at home. Assigning Internet games on words with multiple meanings for homework helps students who need the practice. Typically, these games take the form of matching meanings to words or selecting the best answer from several options.
Keeping a personal contest going with multiple meaning word games motivates students to improve. Students can create their own stack of multiple-meaning word flashcards, decorating them as they like. Provided with a score chart for each day or week, students can quietly quiz themselves using the flashcards, recording their score each time. If students have different vocabulary words, they can rotate cards until every student has practiced with all flashcards. A variation on this involves students matching cut-out sentences that contain vocabulary words to the appropriate sense of the word used.