1. Coleman 2011

2.  Words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently OR  Words that are pronounced the same but spelled differently

3.  KNEW is the past tense of the verb KNOW. * I knew I would do well on my homonym test! * Sally knew all the lyrics to Justin Bieber.  NEW is the opposite of old. * I love my new MINI Cooper. * We welcomed the new student into the class. MEMORY TIP: If you remember that KNOWLEDGE is spelled with a K, then you can see that the root word is KNOW! Today I KNOW, yesterday I KNEW.

4.  Use THAN to compare two things  Mrs. Fanning’s desk is neater THAN mine.  Are you smarter THAN a 5 th grader?  Use THEN to tell when something happens  First I am going to the store, THEN to the theater.  Back then I was much happier. Memory Trick: Technically these are not homonyms because THAN is supposed to be pronounced with a short “a” sound. And THEN rhymes with WHEN—so the definition rhymes with the “e” spelling.

5.  Use WEAK as the opposite of strong.  He was so attractive, I felt WEAK in the knees every time I saw him.  She made a really WEAK argument to her mother about getting a puppy.  Use WEEK to mean 7 days.  Next WEEK is Christmas vacation!  This is going to be one busy WEEK. MEMORY TRICK: Each WEEK at school I get an Excellent Education!

6.  Use WHICH as a pronoun to tell what one or ones.  Which dog is yours?  Can you tell which way to go?  A WITCH is a woman thought to have supernatural powers.  Last Halloween, I dressed as a WITCH.  The Wicked WITCH of the West was melted. Memory Trick: The WITCH cast a spell that made me ITCH!