How to figure out a word's meaning from context
TEAS 7 outline: Determine meaning of words and phrases from context
Also covers HESI A2 Reading (Words in context)
- "As used in the passage" means the meaning that fits this sentence.
- Look for clues: a definition, a synonym, a contrast, or examples.
- Predict a plain word, then substitute each choice into the sentence.
- The right choice keeps the sentence's meaning, tone, and connotation.
- Translate figurative language into a plain statement before choosing.
Key facts
- "As used in the passage" means you need the meaning that fits this sentence, not the most common meaning of the word.
- Definition clues follow signals such as means, is defined as, or refers to, or sit inside dashes or parentheses.
- Synonym or restatement clues follow or, in other words, that is, or also known as.
Show all 7 key factsShow fewer
- Contrast clues follow but, however, unlike, although, or instead of, and point to the opposite meaning.
- Example clues follow such as, for example, including, or like; ask what the examples have in common.
- Denotation is a word's dictionary meaning; connotation is the positive or negative feeling the word carries.
- Figurative language means something other than its literal words; translate it into a plain statement before choosing.
Quick check1 question · 2 more at the end
Fewer Empty Chairs
For years, the Maple Street Clinic struggled with no-shows—patients who book an appointment and then neither arrive nor call to cancel. On some afternoons, a third of the chairs in the waiting room sat empty while other patients waited weeks for an opening.
Last spring, the clinic's office manager, Dana Okafor, proposed a modest fix: a text message sent two days before each visit. Some staff members were skeptical. They doubted that a short text could change anything, since patients already received a reminder card at checkout. Okafor, however, was undeterred. Unlike the staff members who wanted to drop the idea after one slow week, she kept the program running and tracked the results.
By fall, the numbers told a clear story. Missed appointments had fallen by nearly half, and the front desk could offer the open slots to patients on the waiting list. One nurse joked that the new system was a magic wand. Okafor was quick to correct her. The texts were not magic, she said; they simply gave busy people a timely nudge.
The clinic now plans to add a second reminder on the morning of each appointment.
As used in the first paragraph, the term "no-shows" refers to
Correct answer: C.
This is a definition clue: the dash after "no-shows" introduces the writer's own explanation of the term. When a passage defines a word right next to it (after a dash, inside parentheses, or after words such as "means" or "refers to"), use that definition instead of guessing from the word's parts.
A This reverses the idea; a walk-in patient does show up, while the passage describes patients who do not arrive.
B The passage says the patients, not the clinic, fail to arrive or cancel.
C Correct: the definition after the dash describes patients who book, then neither arrive nor call to cancel.
D These are the other patients mentioned in the next sentence, not the no-shows themselves.
Full lesson
Each part starts with its main idea. Open a part when you want the details.
The short answer: To find a word's meaning from context, read the sentences around it and look for a clue: a definition, a synonym, a contrast, or examples. Predict a plain word of your own, then substitute each answer choice into the sentence. The right choice keeps the sentence's meaning, its tone, and its connotation, not just the dictionary sense.
1 Why isn't the meaning you already know enough?Most words have more than one meaning, so the sentence decides which one counts. 1 min
Most words have more than one meaning, so the sentence decides which one counts. Questions that say "as used in the passage" are testing that choice. Your everyday meaning may be a trap.
Take the word chart, which has the same spelling but a different job in each sentence. In "Check the growth chart," it is a noun, a diagram of data. In "Remember to chart the patient's weight," it is a verb, meaning to record.
2 What clues does the sentence give you?Writers usually leave a clue in the same sentence or the one next to it. 1 min
Writers usually leave a clue in the same sentence or the one next to it. Learn the signal words for each type.
| Clue type | Signal words | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | means, is defined as, refers to, dashes, parentheses | Edema (swelling caused by fluid collecting in body tissues) can affect the lower legs. |
| Synonym or restatement | or, in other words, that is | The new rule was lenient, or easy on staff. |
| Contrast | but, however, unlike, although, instead of | Unlike his reticent brother, Omar talked all evening. |
| Example | such as, for example, including, like | Citrus fruits, such as lemons and limes, were on sale. |
If there is no signal word, use the general sense of the passage. Ask, "What would make sense here?"
3 What is a step-by-step method?Predict your own word first, then let the answer choices compete against it. 1 min
Predict your own word first, then let the answer choices compete against it.
- Read around the word. Read the full sentence, plus one sentence before and after.
- Find the clue. Look for a signal word or punctuation from the table.
- Predict. Say a simple word or phrase that would fit the blank.
- Plug in each choice. Reread the sentence with each answer; keep the one that matches your prediction and keeps the meaning.
Try it: "After the storm, the clinic's supply of bottled water was depleted. Unlike last year, when the shelves stayed full for weeks, staff had to reorder by the second day."
- The clue is a contrast, signaled by "unlike." Last year the shelves stayed full.
- So this year the supply was the opposite of full. Predict "used up."
- Plug in: "the supply was polluted" is about water, but nothing in the passage mentions dirty water. "The supply was used up" fits the reorder detail. Choose "used up."
4 How does connotation change a word's meaning?Two words can share a dictionary meaning but carry very different feelings. 1 min
Two words can share a dictionary meaning but carry very different feelings. Denotation is the literal, dictionary meaning. Connotation is the positive or negative feeling a word adds.
| Neutral | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| careful with money | thrifty | stingy |
| sure of oneself | confident | arrogant |
| thin | slender | scrawny |
When a question asks which word best shows the author's attitude, pick the word whose connotation matches the author's tone.
5 How do you read figurative language?Figurative language means something other than what the words literally say, so translate it into plain English. 1 min
Figurative language means something other than what the words literally say, so translate it into plain English. Then answer based on the plain version.
| Type | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simile | compares using like or as | The hallway was as quiet as a library. |
| Metaphor | compares without like or as | The waiting room was a pressure cooker. |
| Personification | gives human traits to a thing | The vending machine swallowed my last dollar. |
| Hyperbole | exaggerates on purpose | I have a mountain of paperwork. |
| Idiom | a set phrase whose meaning differs from its words | Let's touch base after the meeting. |
"The waiting room was a pressure cooker" really means the room felt tense. No cooking is involved.
Common mistakes
The traps students fall into most. Read these before you practice.
Watch out: Choose the meaning that fits the sentence, not the first meaning you know; many words have several meanings.
Watch out: After a contrast signal such as but or unlike, the clue points to the opposite meaning, not a similar one.
Watch out: A choice that is true about the topic can still be wrong if it does not make sense when substituted into the sentence.
Watch out: A choice that looks or sounds like the target word is a lure, not a clue.
Watch out: Read figurative phrases for what they suggest, not literally: a "mountain of paperwork" is a lot of paperwork, not a pile of rocks.
How to remember it
Shrink the four steps into three words and say them in the same order every time. Clue, Predict, Plug in. Never pick an answer before you have your own prediction.
Self-check:
- In "Her tone was brusque, not warm and patient like usual," name the clue type and predict a meaning.
- Give a positive and a negative word for "someone who does not change their mind."
- Translate "My inbox is exploding" into plain English.