Academic success relies not only on content knowledge but also on understanding the language used to frame learning expectations. Task verbs such as analyze, infer, and justify are often presented as neutral directions, yet they carry cultural and linguistic expectations that can create hidden barriers for multilingual learners. This session empowers educators to recognize and address these challenges to promote equity and inclusion. Academic language reflects specific cultural norms, privileging dominant culture over other valid ways of knowing and communicating. Through online activities, educators will identify and sort interdisciplinary task verbs by complexity, think about where their students often get stuck, and reflect on how misunderstandings of these verbs can result in incorrect evaluation. The session will also highlight research demonstrating that task verbs are both cognitively demanding and culturally loaded. Participants will learn practical strategies to scaffold task verbs, including sentence frames and modeling. Scenarios will illustrate how to unpack hidden assumptions embedded in common classroom tasks and create more inclusive learning experiences. Educators will leave with tools and resources to explicitly teach task verbs, reflect on the language demands in their assignments, and better support multilingual learners in accessing rigorous content.  By making the hidden meanings of task verbs visible, teachers can better support multilingual learners in navigating the complex language of school, ultimately expanding learners’ access to academic success and building more equitable classrooms.