Nevertheless, these ubiquitous little pests are here to stay, and that’s why it’s critical that we offer our students the practice they need to master their homophone skills and become clear, strong, intelligible writers.
Why We Want Students to Master their Homophone Skills
Knowing how to use these itty-bitty words has huge benefits for your students in both their academic and personal lives.
- Homophones are a key building block for writing correctly. Therefore, students must learn to use these words competently in order to communicate effectively when writing virtually anything—from stories, to research papers, and everything in between.
- From work emails, to company-wide memos, to social media business posts, writing is one of the key means of communication in many professions. Whether right or wrong, the competency with which we communicate (including how well we use or misuse homophones) affects people’s impressions of our ability to write.
Resources for Teaching Homophones and Commonly Confused Words
I don’t want something as silly as misused homophones getting in the way of my students landing the job, getting that “A”, or securing a big promotion, so I’ve been hard at work on some practice worksheets. I’ve created a comprehensive homophone kit just for dedicated teachers like you!
Take a peek below and download resources for teaching homophones and commonly confused words. This kit will get your students excited about their next ELA lesson as they play their way to a better understanding of homophones. Here’s a breakdown of the resources included in the free kit!
Printable Homophone Activities
Nature-Themed Homophone Activity
Time to reconnect with nature and get your silly on with the Nature-Themed Homophone Activity. Students will be moving, laughing, and practicing commonly confused words in this hilarious, charade-like exercise!
The objective is for students to first guess the correct word taped on their backs using clues acted out (danced out, wiggled out, hummed out, etc.) by their partner. Then, in a mad dash to the finish, they must find the person in the room that has their matching homophone.
Get ready for your students to act, dance, sing, and play their way to commonly confused words competency! Download the Homophone Usage Kit to get FREE access to these two great printables: the Nature Homophone cards and the Nature Homophone chart.
Words Often Misspelled Mini Lesson
Use the Words Often Misspelled lesson to review commonly misspelled words that confuse young students! This activity includes a guided instruction and guided practice section for class discussion, as well as an independent grammar exercise for students to complete on their own. After students build their confidence through the guided instruction and guided practice portions of this mini-lesson, task them with completing the independent grammar exercise. Grab the Homophone Usage Kit to get the Words Often Misspelled mini lesson.
Pick a Homophone Activity for Grades 1–2
This simple activity will get your kids thinking deeply about homophones! Students must read a sentence and choose the correct homophone based on context. Since it’s easy-to-follow, students can work independently, in pairs, or they can even take the activity home for homework.
The Pick a Homophone Activity is included in the Homophone Usage Kit, so if you’d like a copy, download the kit today!
Printable Homophone Game
Research shows that incorporating game play into lessons can increase engagement, learning, and (of course) fun! Help solidify your homophone skills lesson and increase excitement about grammar practice by downloading our phonics games below.
Fill-in-the-Blank Homophone Dice Game for Grades 1–4 and Grades 5–8
The fun, exciting Fill-in-the-Blank Homophone Dice Game has two versions: one for Grades 1–4 and one for Grades 5–8. All you need to play this game are printed game cards, pencils, and dice. The game is adaptable enough to use in a variety of ways; students can work in pairs, interpedently, or in stations.
Students roll dice to see which homophone column they have landed on. Then they must choose the homophone from that category that fits correctly in the blank below. Students just keep rolling (and rolling… and rolling) until they have filled in all the boxes and mastered the game! As an added bit of fun, students can color the boxes or put stickers on them (bingo style) to mark which ones they filled in correctly.
Get a free, copy of the Fill-in-the-Blank Homophone Dice Game by downloading the entire Homophone Usage Kit. Both grade-level versions (along with lots of other homophone practice goodies) are included in the kit!
Printable Homophone Chart
Homophone Anchor Chart
Homophone anchor charts are a great way to place the words in the classroom and provide a resource for students as they learn homophones.
This Homophone Anchor Chart includes homophones and their meaning. Students can use this chart to write sentences using these homophones to increase understanding of when to use the correct homophone. Download the Homophone Usage Kit to get the printable Homophone Anchor Chart.
