Multiple Meanings of 'Spring' in Context
Ms. Rivera's class is studying multiple-meaning words. The students read a 180-word text about Ridge Park. The word spring appears three times: (1) 'In spring, the park paths are muddy and the ducks return.' (2) 'A cold spring bubbles up near the oak tree, and the water runs into the pond.' (3) 'The gate will spring open if you push the red button.' The dictionary entry the class uses lists four meanings: 1. the season after winter; 2. a source of water coming from the ground; 3. to move suddenly upward or forward; 4. a coiled piece of metal. The teacher asks students to use nearby words, not the dictionary order, to decide the meaning in each sentence. One student says all three are the same word, so they must mean the same thing. Another student says 'bubbles' is the clue for sentence 2.
1. Match each sentence to the correct dictionary meaning of 'spring' and give the context clue that supports your choice.
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Sentence 1 means dictionary meaning 1, the season after winter. The clue is 'In spring' plus 'ducks return,' which describes a time of year. Sentence 2 means meaning 2, a source of water from the ground. The words 'bubbles up' and 'water runs into the pond' show water coming from the earth, not a season or a jump. Sentence 3 means meaning 3, to move suddenly upward or forward. The gate and the red button show an action; 'spring open' means the gate moves quickly. Meaning 4, a coiled piece of metal, does not fit any sentence because nothing in the sentences describes metal or a coil.
2. A student claims 'spring' must mean the same thing in all three sentences because it is spelled the same. Explain why this reasoning is incorrect, using the three sentences.
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The student's reasoning is incorrect because English has many multiple-meaning words: words that share spelling and pronunciation but have different meanings. The three sentences use 'spring' differently. In sentence 1 it is a noun meaning a season; in sentence 2 it is a noun meaning a water source; in sentence 3 it is a verb meaning to move suddenly. The nearby words change the meaning. In sentence 1, 'ducks return' signals time of year. In sentence 2, 'bubbles up' signals water. In sentence 3, 'gate' and 'push the red button' signal an action. Dictionary order is not the clue; context and part of speech are.
3. Which dictionary meaning is NOT used in the three sentences? Write a new sentence using that meaning and explain the clue.
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Meaning 4, a coiled piece of metal, is not used. A new sentence could be: 'The old clock stopped because its spring was broken.' In this sentence 'spring' is a noun for a metal part inside the clock. The clue is 'clock' and 'broken,' which point to a mechanism, not a season, water source, or jump. This shows that the same spelling can carry a fourth meaning when the context changes.