Words with two meanings
Two pairs of words point at two different meanings of one word. Here’s how to find the word that fits both, every time.
Chapter 1
What are two meanings questions?
You get two pairs of words in brackets. The two words in each pair go together: they mean nearly the same, or they’re the same kind of thing.
You pick the one word that goes with both pairs. It can, because it has two meanings: one for each pair.
The first pair. It points at one meaning.
The second pair. It points at a different meaning.
(penny, coin) and (bang, thump)?
Which word goes with both pairs?
- Option 1: dollar
- Option 2: knock
- Option 3: pound
- Option 4: cash
A Verbal question from Rush, level 1.
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One spelling, two meanings
Same letters, different meanings.
A dog’s bark and a tree’s bark are spelt the same, so bark goes with both pairs. Trap: words that only sound alike, like flour and flower. They’re two different words, so they never count.
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Often a thing and a doing word
Try “a” and “to” in front of each option.
A duck is a bird: a naming word, or noun. To duck is to bend down fast, out of the way: a doing word, or verb. Trap: picturing only the thing, and never trying the doing word.
Chapter 2
Solve it in 3 steps.
Here’s the question, one step at a time.
The question
(penny, coin) and (bang, thump)?
Which word goes with both pairs?
- Option 1: dollar
- Option 2: knock
- Option 3: pound
- Option 4: cash
A Verbal question from Rush, level 1.
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Step 1
Sum up each pair.
Say in a word or two what each pair has in common. Penny and coin are money. Bang and thump mean hit hard. Now you have two tests.
One word has to pass both tests.
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Step 2
Test every option on both.
Ask of each option: is it money? Does it mean hit hard? Dollar and cash are money, but they don’t mean hit. Knock means hit, but it isn’t money.
Each option tested on both pairs: dollar is money only, knock is hit hard only, pound is both, cash is money only. money hit hard dollar fits doesn’t fit knock doesn’t fit fits pound fits fits cash fits doesn’t fit Only pound gets two ticks.
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Step 3
Say it with each pair.
Put the word in a short phrase for each meaning. A pound coin is money. To pound on a door is to bang on it. Both make sense, so pound fits both pairs.
a pound coin
a naming word: money
pound on a door
a doing word: hit hard
The two mistakes it sets
| The mistake | Do this instead |
|---|---|
| Stopping when one pair fits. Dollar and cash are money, and knock is a bang. Each fits one pair well, and that’s what makes it look right. | Test every option on both pairs. A wrong option fits one pair, never both. |
| Crossing out the answer too soon. If you only know a pound as money, it seems to fail “bang, thump”. | Ask what else the word can mean. Put “to” in front: to pound on a door is to bang on it. |
So it’s pound. A pound is money, like a penny or a coin, and to pound is to bang or thump.
Remember: Sum up. Test both. Say both.
Chapter 3
The catches.
The harder questions hide the answer in these four ways.
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Say it the other way
Fits one pair only? Say it with the other part louder.
Some words change how they’re said. In (thing, item) and (protest, disagree), an OB-ject is a thing, and to ob-JECT is to protest. Minute works the same way. Trap: saying it one way, then crossing it out.
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One meaning you know, one you don’t
Know one meaning? Ask what else it can mean.
In (heartbeat, throb) and (lentils, beans), your pulse is your heartbeat. Lentils and beans are called pulses too, a rarer meaning. Trap: peas, which fit the beans but have no beat.
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Let the partner decide
A clue word has two meanings? Its partner picks one.
In (bolt, latch) and (curl, strand), bolt can mean run off. Next to latch, though, it’s a bar on a door. So it’s lock: a lock keeps a door shut, and a lock of hair is a curl. Trap: reading bolt as run off, then hunting for a word like dash.
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Swallow is a bird but doesn't mean boast. Gloat is close to boast but isn't a bird. Crow is a bird and means boast. bird boast swallow fits doesn’t fit gloat doesn’t fit fits crow fits fits Two meanings, but the wrong two
Both meanings must match these two pairs.
In (raven, magpie) and (boast, brag), a swallow is a bird, but to swallow is to gulp. Gloat is close to boast, but it isn’t a bird. A crow is a bird, and to crow is to boast. Trap: swallow, which has two meanings, just not these two.
Can you say both meanings?
Rush asks every one of these. Say both meanings of each word, and look up any you can’t.
Chapter 4: In the exam
How the exam asks it.
The papers set it like Rush, with five options. Some also ask what a word means in a reading passage.
Two pairs, five options
The paper asks which word goes equally well with both pairs. The fifth option still fits one pair only, so the same three steps work.
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Example
(court, field) and (hurl, toss)
The options are arena, fling, lob, pitch and stadium. Sum up: a place for sport, and throw. Arena and stadium are places but not throws. Fling and lob are throws but not places. A football pitch, and to pitch a ball: it’s pitch.
Arena and stadium are places for sport only; fling and lob are throws only; pitch is both. place for sport throw arena fits doesn’t fit fling doesn’t fit fits lob doesn’t fit fits pitch fits fits stadium fits doesn’t fit
Two meanings in a passage
A reading question may ask which word is closest in meaning to one in the passage, as it is used there. Every option can be a real meaning of the word, so the sentence decides.
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Example
Which word is closest in meaning to bright, as it’s used here?
Shiny, sunny, clever, colourful and cheerful can all mean bright. Sum up what it means here: Mia is quick at puzzles, so it’s about her brain. Swap it in: so clever that she solved the puzzle first. It’s clever.
Mia is so bright that she solved the puzzle first.
Chapter 5
Try it yourself.
Six real questions from Rush, easy to hard, 60 seconds on the clock.
Use the steps
- Sum up each pair.
- Test every option on both.
- Say it with each pair.
Remember: Sum up. Test both. Say both.
For parents.
What parents ask us about words with two meanings.
Questions parents ask
What's the difference between homographs, homophones and homonyms?
Homographs are spelt the same but mean different things, and some are said differently too, like object the thing and object meaning protest. Homophones sound the same but are spelt differently, like pair and pear. Homonyms usually means words spelt and said the same with different meanings, like bat. Two Meanings questions use the first and last kinds: one spelling, two meanings.
Which words with two meanings should my child know?
Everyday words with a second job: bill, bolt, crow, date, fine, jar, pound, tense, till and vain all appear in Rush. A good habit is to ask, whenever a word turns up in a book, whether it means anything else.
What if none of the options seems to fit both pairs?
Then one of the meanings is the less familiar one, and it is often a doing word where your child was picturing a thing. Try each option with 'to' in front: to jar is to jolt or shake, so jar fits (jolt, shake) as well as (pot, jug).
Rush: 11+ Practice & KS2 SATsPractise words with two meanings in Rush.
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