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Grade 5 · lesson 3 of 4

Choose a precise meaning

Read the complete context, try each supplied sense and retain the one that makes the sentence coherent.

About 18 minutes, plus any extended practice

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Supplied materials

  • Paper and pencil, or a browser text area. All named people/events/records are fictional learning inputs.
  • Worked case: Root: bio- in biology. Guide: PHO-to-graph. Bank context: deposit money at a bank. Command: compare.
  • Primary check: Root: geo- in geology. Guide: pho-TOG-ra-phy. Bank context: sit on a river bank. Command: explain.

Learn the idea

A word can have several related or unrelated meanings. Bank can name an institution or river edge, describe a turning tilt or mean storing something for later. Context determines the sense.

Read the complete context, try each supplied sense and retain the one that makes the sentence coherent.

Example to read or listen to: Root: bio- in biology. Guide: PHO-to-graph. Bank context: deposit money at a bank. Command: compare. The answer is a financial institution. The relevant input states: Bank context: deposit money at a bank. This fits a financial institution. A word can have several related or unrelated meanings. Bank can name an institution or river edge, describe a turning tilt or mean storing something for later. Context determines the sense. The most familiar meaning may not fit.

  1. Read or listen to the worked example. Say what the reading or writing task asks you to find. An adult can help with unfamiliar words.
  2. Read the complete context, try each supplied sense and retain the one that makes the sentence coherent.
  3. Check the worked solution: a financial institution. The relevant input states: Bank context: deposit money at a bank. This fits a financial institution. A word can have several related or unrelated meanings. Bank can name an institution or river edge, describe a turning tilt or mean storing something for later. Context determines the sense. The most familiar meaning may not fit.
  4. Try the question and the practice questions. Point to the words that helped you choose before checking the feedback.
Worked example

See the method in action

Root: bio- in biology. Guide: PHO-to-graph. Bank context: deposit money at a bank. Command: compare. Solved: a financial institution. The relevant input states: Bank context: deposit money at a bank. This fits a financial institution. A word can have several related or unrelated meanings. Bank can name an institution or river edge, describe a turning tilt or mean storing something for later. Context determines the sense. The most familiar meaning may not fit. Read the complete context, try each supplied sense and retain the one that makes the sentence coherent.

Your turn

Check your reasoning

Your answer is temporary and is not saved to an account. Download your current answer before leaving or reloading. Written work on paper or in another app stays in your own file.

Helpful tips
  • A riverbank is beside water.
  • The most familiar meaning may not fit.
Root: geo- in geology. Guide: pho-TOG-ra-phy. Bank context: sit on a river bank. Command: explain. Which sense of the supplied word fits the context?

Feedback appears here after you check. This is practice, not a graded school assessment.

See the answer and explanation

edge of a river

The relevant input states: Bank context: sit on a river bank. This fits edge of a river. A word can have several related or unrelated meanings. Bank can name an institution or river edge, describe a turning tilt or mean storing something for later. Context determines the sense. The most familiar meaning may not fit.

Take it further

Optional extra practice: Use this supplied word: hydrology, the study of water; pronunciation hy-DROL-o-gy. Mark the root and stress. Write separate sentences for a river bank and a financial bank. Compare them by identifying the shared spelling and different meanings. Practice this lesson’s skill as you complete the task. Use this idea to check your work: A word can have several related or unrelated meanings. Bank can name an institution or river edge, describe a turning tilt or mean storing something for later. Context determines the sense.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. The answer download includes your current choice and any checked feedback. It does not include choices from the separate More practice section. Download that section separately.

More practice: try new cases

Choose an answer for each problem. Explain your method on paper, then use the feedback to decide what to revisit.

More practice: try new cases
1. Root: hydro- in hydrology. Guide: pho-to-GRAPH-ic. Bank context: the plane banks during a turn. Command: summarize. Which sense of the supplied word fits the context?
Need a hint?
  • A riverbank is beside water.
  • The most familiar meaning may not fit.
2. Root: chron- in chronology. Guide: com-mu-ni-CA-tion. Bank context: bank unused hours for later. Command: classify. Which sense of the supplied word fits the context?
Need a hint?
  • A riverbank is beside water.
  • The most familiar meaning may not fit.
3. Root: bio- in biography, a written life account. Guide: BI-o-sphere. Bank context: grassy bank beside a stream. Command: classify. Which sense of the supplied word fits the context?
Need a hint?
  • A riverbank is beside water.
  • The most familiar meaning may not fit.

Your choices are temporary. Feedback appears after you check all the answers.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. Keep your own notes or download them before leaving. The score describes these questions; it does not certify subject mastery.

Check the subject sources

These LifeStarter passages, scenarios and exercises are authored for this Academy with AI assistance and review. External resources keep their publishers’ terms. A grade label suggests a starting level; it does not establish alignment with your school’s complete requirements.