Influence on Meaning

This worksheet helps students in Grades 5 and 6 deepen grammar understanding, vocabulary flexibility, and reading comprehension by analyzing how a word’s part of speech influences its meaning. Learners read short passages where the same bolded word appears in different roles-such as a noun, verb, or adjective-and determine how each grammatical function changes the word’s meaning within the sentence.

Learning Goals

• Identifying Parts of Speech in Context (Grades 5-6)
  Students determine whether a word functions as a noun, verb, or adjective based on sentence structure and usage.
• Comparing Meaning Across Word Forms
  Learners analyze how the same word can convey different meanings depending on how it is used.
• Understanding Grammar’s Influence on Meaning
  Students explore how grammatical role shapes interpretation and clarity in reading.
• Evidence-Based Explanation Writing
  The activity requires students to explain how context supports their conclusions.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource
  Designed by educators to align with upper elementary ELA grammar and language standards.
• Short Written Response Practice
  Encourages students to articulate reasoning rather than rely on memorization.
• Flexible Classroom Use
  Suitable for grammar lessons, literacy centers, homework, assessment, or enrichment.
• Supports Transferable Language Skills
  Helps students apply grammar knowledge to authentic reading situations.

This printable worksheet helps students see how grammar and meaning work together in real text. By comparing how words shift meaning across parts of speech and explaining those differences with evidence, learners build stronger grammar awareness, vocabulary depth, and reading comprehension. It’s a meaningful, no-prep resource that works well in both classroom instruction and homeschool learning.

This worksheet is part of our Context Clues Worksheets collection.