By Patricia C. McKissack Illustrated by Merry Pinkney Vocabulary - Homophones

 Homophones  Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings.

ax/acts ate/eight bare/bear hair/hare halve/have rose/rows see/sea

 Homophones  Can you spell the homophones that match these words sounds?

there buy hear peace their, they’re bye here piece

 Homophones  When homophones are used in writing, the meaning of the sentence will help you understand which spelling to use.

 The meanings of ax and acts are very different from each other. Which word would you put in this sentence:  The guard counted the weapon and found the _____ was missing.

Vocabulary  scald blurted permission clenched autograph fare chiseled spectacular Which word in the set is a homophone?

Vocabulary  scald blurted permission clenched autograph fare chiseled spectacular Which words can you put in a sentence?

Vocabulary  scald blurted permission autograph clenched chiseled fare spectacular Which words can you define?

Use the context.

 “It was a hot day and the Mississippi sun was doing its best to scald the boys with its hot rays.” In this sentence scald means:

a.

heat

b.

burn

c.

warm

Correct 

The correct answer was 

Use the context.

 “Ummm, I’ll ask my mom if I can go. I need her permission.” In the passage, permission means:

a.

getting the ok from a parent

b.

c.

asking a parent knowing it is okay to go

Correct 

The correct answer was a. getting the ok from a parent.



Correct 

Vocabulary  “In Joe’s house there was a picture of Dr. King with his autograph on the bottom.” In the passage, autograph means:

a.

to write about yourself b.

c.

a book about you

your name in your handwriting

Correct 

The correct answer was c. your name in your handwriting.



Vocabulary  “Why don’t you boys take the bus to the drugstore? I’ve got the bus fare right here.” In the passage, the word fare means:

a.

honest and truthful

b.

cost of the ride

c.

ticket to ride

Correct 

The correct answer was b. cost of the ride .



Vocabulary  “No Ma’am,” Paul blurted out suddenly.

In the passage, the word blurted means:

a.

yelled

b.

c.

said whispered

Correct 

The correct answer was a. yelled.



Vocabulary  Paul’s hand was clenched in a fist as they headed for the two empty stools.” In the passage, the word clenched means:

a.

sweating b.

c.

pounding

squeezed

Correct 

The correct answer was c. squeezed.



Vocabulary  A man with a frown that looked like it was chiseled out of stone blocked their way.

In the passage, the word chiseled means:

a.

angry

b.

carved

c.

still

Correct 

The correct answer was b. carved.



a.

b.

c.

Vocabulary  “Have a spectacular afternoon.” she said. “Two friends like you, that shouldn’t be a problem.” In the passage, the word spectacular means:

good great

excellent

Correct 

The correct answer was c. excellent.



Vocabulary Challenge  Use both of these words in one meaningful sentence. Be sure each word is used according to the meaning of its spelling.

blew/blue ball/bawl add/ad peace/piece shoe/shoo read/reed loan/lone great/grate reign/rain/rein