Hilarious homophones
Learning to spell by distinguishing between homophones
Key terminology:: homophone
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Two different words are homophones if they sound exactly the same when pronounced.
English Programme of Study: key stages 1 and 2. Glossary p.76
It is important to know the difference in meaning between homophones.
English Programme of Study: key stages 1 and 2. Appendix 1: Spelling p.47
For this lesson you will need:
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Homophone picture cards (see resource sheet [p6] or full colour version on CD-ROM)
Whiteboards and pens
Post-it notes
Scissors and glue sticks
A blank table
This homophone table for your reference:
pear
pair
sun
son
sea
see
knight
night
hare
hair
Introduction of new learning
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2
Tell pupils the following joke:
Practising with new learning
Display the completed homophone table on the board. Distribute the memory game cards so that children
can play in pairs. Instruct them to place the cards face down on their tables and to take turns at turning
over two cards at a time to make pairs. When children have found pairs they should use post-it notes to
label each image with the correct spelling.
As extension, children could cut-out and stick a photocopy of the memory game cards into their books and
label them with the correct spelling.
Application of new learning
Play ‘quick write’ by saying a word for children to write on their whiteboards and show to you. E.g. “Write
‘pear’ as in the fruit,” and then ask the children to show you what they have written. Continue with other
words from the memory card game.
Dictation
Dictate the following sentence to your class.
The sailor climbed the ship’s mast so he could see the sea.
Ask pupils to put down their pencils whilst they listen to you say the sentence clearly (repeat the sentence
several times if you feel it will benefit your pupils). Encourage pupils to repeat the sentence silently in their
own head. Next ask them to repeat the sentence as a class. Now ask the children to write the sentence.
Encourage them to read their writing to check it matches the sentence they have heard. Finally, say the
sentence again and write it clearly for pupils to see. Ensure you check the key words used in the lesson.
Other ideas
Ask children to draw pictures showing both homophones in the same picture. They should write a sentence
or caption underneath showing the use of the homophones e.g. A knight at night, a hare with hair…
“What do you call a panda with no clothes on?”
For homework, ask children to find jokes that use homophones. Two classroom books that take a fun look
at homophones are:
A bare bear.
Eight Ate: A Feast of Homonym Riddles by Marvin Terban
Deer Dear: A Book of Homophones by Gene Barreta
Do pupils ‘get’ the joke?
Ask pupils what kind of animal a panda is: a bear. Write the word ‘bear’ on the whiteboard. What do
we call having no clothes on? Bare (or naked). Write the word ‘bare’ on the whiteboard. Therefore, a
panda with no clothes on is a ‘bare bear’.
Explain how both words sound the same but that they have different meanings. We call these words
‘homophones’ because homo- means ‘same’, and phone means ‘sound’. Say the word ‘homophone’ as
a class.
Explain that today you will be learning about homophones. Display the blank homophones table and
explain that you are going to complete it together.
Show pupils the image of a pear from the memory game card set (see p6 – you may want to enlarge
these and display them on a whiteboard). Ask them what it is and see if anyone can offer the correct
spelling. Now show them the pair image. See if anyone can offer a spelling for ‘pair’ meaning ‘two’.
Enter the two words into a table. Repeat with the other memory game cards. It is recommended that
you start with the more obvious homophone as presented in the homophone table.
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Pupil sheet
Answers
Hilarious homophones
1
2
Find four pairs of homophones in the word search.
1
e
a
r
s
i
b
n
m
n
p
e
a
r
s
i
b
n m n
h
f
v
p
c
i
u
h
k
i
h
f
v
p
c
i
u
h
k
i
u
e
a
p
v
e
t
a
p
g
u
e
a
p
v
e
t
a
p
g
y
z
b
l
h
a
i
r
o
h
y
z
b
l
h
a
i
r
o
h
e
x
x
h
u
c
d
e
i
t
e
x
x
h
u
c
d
e
i
t
p
z
q
b
p
c
i
j
u
h
p
z
q
b
p
c
i
j
u
h
p
h
s
x
k
p
a
i
r
r
p
h
s
x
k
p
a
i
r
r
s
q
o
z
l
d
p
j
k
w
s
q
o
z
l
d
p
j
k
w
s
u
n
b
l
b
v
c
x
s
s
u
n
b
l
b
v
c
x
s
g
g
c
k
n
i
g
h
t
z
g
g
c
k
n
i
g
h
t
z
2
Use the pairs of homophones from the word search to complete the table.
One has been done for you.
pear
pair
3
4
3
p
Circle the correct homophone in each of these sentences.
a) knight
pear
pair
sun
son
knight
night
hair
hare
b) sun
c) pear
Last night, mum was looking for a pair of socks. She asked her son to help but
he couldn’t see them.
a) The knight/night rode a horse and carries a sword.
b) I looked in the sky and the sun/son was shining.
c) There was a banana, two apples and a juicy pair/pear in the fruit bowl.
4
There are three mistakes in this paragraph. Underline the mistakes and write out
the correct homophones.
Last knight, mum was looking for a pear of socks. She asked her son to
help but he couldn’t sea them.
How did you do?
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Resource
Homophone memory card game
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