Basic Details
Word: Meaning
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: What a word, sign, action or idea expresses or stands for; also purpose or importance, as in the meaning of a festival.
Synonyms: sense, significance, definition
How to Spell Meaning
Syllables: mean - ing
Tricky part: The ea is easy to replace with ee (meening). The n is not doubled before ing because ea is a pair of vowels.
Watch out for: meening, meanning, mening
Memory tip: What do you mean? The answer is a meaning: mean, with its ea, plus ing.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Look up the meaning of every new word in the chapter.
Example 2: The meaning of the red light is clear: stop.
Example 3: Grandmother explained the meaning of each ritual at the Pongal festival.
Fun Fact
The branch of linguistics that studies meaning is called semantics, from a Greek word for a sign.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to meaning as used in the sentence:
The meaning of the poem became clear only in its last stanza.
a) sense
b) rhyme
c) title
d) length
Show answer
a) sense. The sense of a poem is what it is saying, which is its meaning.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
meaneing
a) i
b) n
c) e
d) a
Show answer
c) e. Mean + ing has no e before the i; the second e is the stray one.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. sentance 2. paragraf 3. punctuasion 4. meaning
a) marks such as commas and full stops used in writing
b) what a word or idea expresses or stands for
c) a group of words that expresses a complete thought
d) a section of writing about one idea, starting on a new line
Show answer
b) what a word or idea expresses or stands for. Meaning is spelt correctly, while punctuation, sentence and paragraph have been misspelt.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which book would you open to check a word's meaning?
a) a cookbook
b) an atlas
c) a dictionary
d) a diary
Show answer
c) a dictionary
2. In 'Diwali has a special meaning for our family', meaning is closest to ____.
a) colour
b) noise
c) price
d) importance
Show answer
d) importance
