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1st grade · English Language Arts · Unit 18 of 19

Word Clues

Words with two meanings, word endings and parts of a sentence.

What your child practices

Your child works out the meaning of words with more than one meaning from the sentence, finds the base word in words like jumping and looked, and notices what makes a sentence: a capital first word and an end mark.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 1L4; 1RF1 · multiple-meaning words, word endings and base words, and the parts of a sentence

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Some words have two meanings, like bat.
  2. Read the whole sentence to pick the meaning.
  3. A sentence starts with a capital and ends with a mark.

Example: “A bat flew out of the cave.” What does “bat” mean? It flew out of a cave. So it is an animal. Answer: an animal that flies

Word Clues in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 18 of 19 in 1st grade English Language Arts, after Feelings, Senses and Reasons and before Respond and Find Out.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    What is the base word in “jumping”?

    • ing
    • jum
    • ping
    • jump

  2. Question 2

    “She wore a gold ring.” What does “ring” mean here?

    • a doorbell
    • jewelry for a finger
    • a sound
    • a phone call

  3. Question 3

    “A fly buzzed by my ear.” What does “fly” mean here?

    • move in the air
    • a kite
    • a bird
    • a small bug

  4. Question 4

    How does the first word of a sentence start?

    • with a question mark
    • with a period
    • with a comma
    • with a capital letter

  5. Question 5

    “I can fly a kite.” What does “fly” mean here?

    • a small bug
    • make it go up in the air
    • to swim
    • to fall down

  6. Question 6

    “The sun will set soon.” What does “set” mean here?

    • to put down
    • a group of toys
    • go down in the sky
    • a TV

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