Glossary · Word parts and vocabulary
What is a homograph?
Definition
A homograph is a word spelled the same as another word but with a different meaning, and sometimes a different pronunciation, such as lead the dog and lead the metal.
When the pronunciation differs too, the pair is also called a heteronym: a bow on a gift and a bow to the audience, wind in the trees and wind a clock. When it doesn't, the words just share a spelling, like bat the animal and bat for baseball.
Homographs are the reverse of homophones. For spelling, they are easy, since there is one spelling. For reading, they need context: the student has to read the sentence to know which word, and which pronunciation, is meant.
That makes them good practice for monitoring meaning. A student who reads “The wind blew” correctly and then “Wind the clock” the same way should notice that the second one sounds wrong.
In a lesson
Write two sentences: “She will present her project.” “He got a present.” The student reads both aloud and notices the stress shifts from the second syllable to the first.
Examples
Each word with its spelling units, one per sound.
- presentp·r·e·s·e·n·t
- leadl·ea·d
- bowb·ow
Words come from our lexicon, checked against a pronouncing dictionary. Words a student sees in our assessments are left out.
Why does this matter for the record?
Homograph misreadings are a sign of a student reading word by word without checking meaning. Note them under comprehension, not decoding.
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