Homophones and Homographs — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. In the sentence "The bass jumped out of the lake at sunrise," what does bass mean?
A) A type of freshwater fish
B) A low-pitched musical instrument
C) A deep singing voice
D) A loud speaker for music
Because the bass is in a lake and jumping, it must be the freshwater fish, not a musical instrument.
2. In "Please lead the new students to the cafeteria," what does lead mean?
A) A heavy gray metal
B) To guide or show the way
C) The main role in a play
D) A pencil's writing core
Lead here is a verb meaning to guide, since the speaker is asking someone to take students somewhere.
3. In "A strong wind blew the leaves across the yard," what does wind mean?
A) To turn or coil something around
B) A long, twisting road
C) Moving air outdoors
D) To wrap a clock spring tightly
Wind here refers to moving air, which is what blows leaves across a yard outside.
4. In "Be careful not to tear that old letter from Grandma," what does tear mean?
A) A salty drop from the eye
B) A small hole in cloth
C) A loud rip of paper
D) To rip something apart
Tear here means to rip apart, since the speaker warns against damaging an old paper letter.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. After hearing the sad news, a single tear rolled down her cheek slowly.
Here tear means a drop from the eye, since cheeks and sadness give the context.
2. The musician played the bass guitar with deep, rumbling notes all evening.
The context of guitar and deep notes shows this bass means the low-pitched instrument.
3. Please wind the long rope around the post so it does not blow away.
Wind here means to coil because someone is wrapping rope, not describing moving air.
4. She tied a beautiful red bow on top of the birthday gift box.
Bow here means a decorative knot, since it tops a gift box, not a bending action.
5. Workers came to collect the refuse from the bins at the end of the alley.
Refuse here means trash, since workers collect bins at the end of an alley.