Grade 2 · Extra practicemultiple meaning words
A Day at the Park
Students read a short park story and answer five questions about how words like bark and bat have different meanings, with teacher and homeschool guidance included.
Offline - with you
Print the pages for offline work together; the answer key is for you.
Read the passage aloud together, then point out that some words can mean more than one thing depending on the sentence around them. Ask your child to find the two ways the story uses "bark" (the rough outside of a tree, and the loud sound a dog makes) and the two ways it uses "bat" (a stick for hitting a ball, and a small flying animal). A strong answer doesn't just give a definition — it points to clues in the sentence, like "she rubbed her hand on it" showing bark means the tree's covering, or "flew above them" showing bat means the animal. If your child mixes the meanings up, slow down and reread just that one sentence, then ask, "What is happening here? Could it be the other meaning?" You can also play a quick game where you say a sentence using one of these words and your child tells you which meaning you used. Keep it light and curious — the goal is noticing that context gives us the clue.
A Day at the Park
Mia and Dad walked to the park on a sunny day. Mia saw a big tree with rough bark. She rubbed her hand on it and smiled. Just then, a small dog ran past. Its bark was loud and happy! Mia laughed and waved at the dog. Next, Dad pulled a bat out of his bag. Mia swung the bat and hit the ball far across the grass. After their game, they sat under the tree to rest. A small bat flew above them in the soft evening sky. Mia pointed up and giggled. Dad told her that bats sleep in the day and fly at night. Mia waved goodbye to the park and skipped all the way home with Dad.
What this lesson checks
- Word meaning: Read this sentence from the passage: "Mia swung the bat and hit the ball far across the grass." What does the word bat mean here?
- Word meaning: In the passage, the word bark means the rough outside of a tree. Write a new sentence that uses the word bark with a different meaning.
- Word meaning: Read this sentence from the passage: "A small bat flew above them in the soft evening sky." What does the word bat mean here?
- Word meaning: In the passage, the word bat is used for a flying animal and for a toy you swing to hit a ball. Pick one meaning of bat and write a new sentence that shows that meaning clearly.
- Word meaning: Read this sentence from the passage: "Its bark was loud and happy!" What does the word bark mean here?