Multiple Meaning Examples

Here are some examples of each of the multiple meaning words used as a
noun and a verb. When students understand how multiple meaning words
are used in context, their reading comprehension will improve drastically.

1. crash: I had a car crash. Tom will try not to crash into the pole.
2. pet: I have a golden lab for a pet. Sara and Jenna like to pet dogs.

3. dance: The middle school will have a I will dance the jitterbug.
dance.
4. cut: Bill has a cut on his finger Tam will cut out the pictures.

5. paw: My dog’s paw is big. The horse will paw at the snow to find
grass.
6. dread: My dread of birds causes me Marla dreads taking tests.
problems.
7. post: Gary pounded the post into the The teacher will post the grades.
dirt.
8. string: The guitar string broke. He has to string beads in preschool.

9. smell: Kids sweating have a smell. Sue can smell a skunk.

10. fire: We will build a fire and roast The boss will fire him.
marshmallows.
11. wish: Make a wish and blow out the He will wish for a football.
candles.
12. fight: There was a fight in the parking He will fight for his life.
lot.
13. pack: The wolf pack killed the zebra Jeff has to pack his suitcase.
14. love : My love for you grows everyday. Tom and Tam love each other.

15. color: Green is my favorite color. Tony will color in her coloring book.

16. shape: A diamond is a shape. Try to shape the clay into an animal.

17. break: The employee took a break. Dusty will try not to break his new toy.

18. track: The train goes on a track. The detectives will track the criminal.

19. farm: We bought a farm. The farmer will farm 150 acres of corn.
20. point: The scissors have a sharp point. It’s not polite to point.
21. bend: We went around a bend in the Don’t bend the card.
road.
22. corner: The car went around the corner. The hyenas will corner the lion.

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23. shot: The shot hurt. The hunter shot the deer.

24. spring: The spring on the mattress is Spring out of bed each day!
sprung.
25. might: He has a lot of power and might. I might go to the movies.
26. police: The police captured the criminal. Police the area for any litter.
27. stamp: I bought a book of stamps. The teacher will stamp the paper “A”.

28. trick: The dog performed a trick. John will trick Tim into doing his work.

29. crack: Open the window just a crack. Sam will crack the nuts.

30. taste: The taste of the candy was sour. I will taste the cookies.
31. burn: Terry got a 3rd degree burn on his Tara will burn the candle.
arm.
32. walk: Gary and I went for a long walk. Will you please walk the dog?
33. whisper: Larry heard the whisper of the Whisper the answer to me.
wind.
34. tire: We had to buy 4 new tires for the The kids tire me out.
van.
35. shine: The shine of window caused a I need to shine my shoes.
glare.
36. trap: My uncle set a trap to catch a He likes to trap skunk, too.
raccoon.
37. camp: Adam went to scout camp. We camp on weekend in our camper.

38. bomb: A bomb blew up the federal We will bomb out enemies.
building.
39. shop: At the bridal shop, the girl bought I will shop for clothes.
a gown.
40. place: Can you come to my place? Tom will place the glass on the shelf.

41. cover: Put the cover on the box. Please cover the meat so it won’t spoil.

42. staple: We need to buy staples. Staple the papers together, please.
43. shout: Nick heard a shout for help. Please don’t shout inside.

44. float: Terry made a root beer float. The duck can float on the water.

45. station: The kids toured the fire station. Station yourself on lookout duty.
46. plan: Teachers make lesson plans. Lets plan a party.

47. talk: I heard talk of a robbery. Can we talk some time?

48. fence: They put a fence around the yard. The vet will fence in his back lot.
49. swing : Susan put a swing in her back Will you swing with me?
yard.

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50. name: What is your name? What will you name your baby?
51. set: The couple got a set of dishes for a Set the spiker in volleyball.
gift.
52. paint: She chose the blue paint. Now she will paint her house.
53. cry: Mason heard the cry of the hawk. Riley will cry when his mom leaves.
54. store: I need you to go to the store for I will store my toys in the box.
me.
55. shell: Katie found a shell at the beach. Let’s shell the peas.
56. map: Karrie bought a map of the USA. Now we can map out our trip.
57. block: Jayden ran around the block. In football you need to block.
58. pay: You will get your pay every two Shaun will pay his bills.
weeks.
59. touch: Hugs are a good touch. Please don’t touch the wet paint.
60. review: Lets have a review for math. Bryan needs to review his work.
61. list: Make a list of the things you Matt will list the items here.
need at the store
62. brush: I bought a hair brush. You should brush your teeth
every day.
63. snack: Mom made me a snack after Don’t snack before supper.
school.
64. cure: I hope to find a cure for cancer. Can you cure my hiccups?
65. fit: I feel physically fit. The 60 year old can still fit in her
wedding dress.
66. guess: My guess is 129 jellybeans. Guess how old I am?
67. respect: Ryan has respect for his coach. Please respect your elders.
68. oil: Our car needs an oil change. Chad will oil his bike chain.
69. dress: Kelley bought a new dress. Tina will dress her doll in a bathing suit.
70. thunder: I heard thunder last night. Maybe it will thunder again tonight.
71. snap: My jeans have a snap on them. Jenna will snap her coat.
72. paper: I bought a ream of white paper. We will paper the bathroom.
73. board: The man sawed a board. Board up the windows for the hurricane.
74. snow: Last winter we had 72” of snow. It will snow again this week.
75. field: The farmer planted his field. The 2nd baseman will field the ball.
76. stop: There is a stop sign. The policeman will stop the car for
speeding.
77. hope: Our hope is that you will get well. Adam hopes he will get a pickup.
78. wash: I did 3 loads of wash. Go and wash the van please.
79. hit: The boxer took a hit to the face. That house got hit by a tornado.
80. flood: There was a flood in Madison in Every spring it floods.
1993.
81. raise: The employee would like a raise. On memorial day we raise the flag.
82. soil: The farm has fertile soil. Chad will soil his shirt digging in the
dirt.
83. pin: Does anyone have a safety pin? I will pin up the hem on your jeans.
84. picture: I bought a picture for my house. Picture a rainbow in your mind.
85. mark: You made a mark on the wall. Mark where you are in your book.

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86. spy: Larry hired a spy to solve the I spy a butterfly.
murder
87. crown: The queen is wearing her crown. The king will crown his son.
88. spell: The witch will cast a spell on you. Raymond can spell his name.
89. hold: Grab a hold of the line. The mother will hold her baby to nurse.
90. fool: What a fool he is for smoking. Jerry tried to fool his teacher.
91. skate: Kim got new ice skates. She will skate for 2 hours this Saturday.
92. attack: William had a heart attack. The army will attack the enemy.
93. lounge: Look in the teacher’s lounge. Can we lounge around today?
94. shovel: Gary bought a new shovel. Adam shovels snow for the neighbors.

95. pump: My grandma had a water pump. She had to pump water daily.
96. jerk: He is a real jerk. The fish will jerk your line.
97. grin: The model has a nice grin Wipe the grin off your face.
98. rub: I need a back rub. Try to rub the spot off the carpet.
99. dream: Last night I had a dream. Sometimes I dream about you.
100. drill: Gary used a drill to make the hole Can you drill a whole in this board?
101. roast: Tam made a roast for supper Tom will roast the turkey in the oven.
102. trade: Painting is a trade. I will trade football cards with you.
103. doctor: Kristen went to the doctor The nurse will doctor your injury.
104. fish: Bill caught a 10lb. fish. He likes to fish for walleyes.
105. help: Do you need any help? Kate will help you with math.
106: crowd: There was a crowd at the mall. Try not to crowd in line.
107. bowl: Put the ingredients in the bowl. Gary will bowl tonight.
108. joke: The comedian told a joke. Don’t joke about someone’s health.
109. roll: Please pass the rolls. Jayden can roll over now.
110. chain: Put the chain around the tree. Chain Kassie to the tree.
111. signal: Stop at the signal. Signal when you are going to turn.
112. mistake: Everyone makes mistakes. People mistake me for Tim.
113. harm: The tornado did a lot of harm. Smoking harms your lungs.
114. blossom: The blossom is a pretty pink. The flower will blossom soon.
115. whistle: The referee blew his whistle. Matt will whistle when he is ready.
116. junk: Katie likes to collect junk. I will junk this old bike.
117. patch: Mary put a patch on her shirt. Ann will patch her jeans.
118. master: Slaves worked for their master. Mason will master his numbers.
119. guard: The guard policed the prison. Guard your valuables on a trip.
120. beach: Let’s go to the beach. The whale will beach himself on the
beach.
121. report: I wrote a report on AIDS. Please report to the principal’s office.
122. drug: Don’t take drugs. The doctor will drug his patients before
surgery.
123. salt: Adam likes salt on his popcorn. Pat will salt it for him.
124. wiggle: The girl has a wiggle when she Don’t wiggle in your chair.
walks.
125. hammer: Tom bought a new hammer. Try to hammer the nail in the wood.
126: scare: I had a scare when I fell. The storm will scare Bill.

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127. notice: Put the notice on the bulletin I notice you have a new dress.
board.

128. share: This is your share of the candy. Amy will share her clothes.
130. light: Turn on the light. This candle will light our way.
131. degree: I drew a 80 degree angle. I earned my college degrees.
It is 70 degrees outside.
132. nursery: I took my child to the nursery at I bought a tree at the nursery.
the church.
133. course: I took a course in Spanish. I went to the golf course.
Of course, I will go.
I went through the obstacle course.
134. grave: I visited my grandma’s grave. The man was in grave condition after
the accident.
135. digest: My stomach will digest the meal I I have to digest this information for my
ate. science test.
136. recall: I recall the time we had a slumber The dog food was recalled due to rat
party. poison.
137. display: I will display the clothes in the The display of hand painted eggs was in
window. the art gallery.
138. disguises: The children wore their disguises He disguises himself by wearing a
to the costume party. mask.
139. lasso: The cowboy used his lasso when Cowboys lasso the baby calves for
herding the cattle. branding.
140. quarters: A football game has 4 quarters. There are 4 quarters in dollar.
I cut the apple into quarters.
The soldier’s sleeping quarters were
crowded.
141. bound: I am bound for California. The kidnapper bound the child with
rope.
142. peddling; I am peddling my bike. The peddler was peddling his wares.
143. mission: It was the army’s mission to The monk slept at the mission.
capture the terrorists.
144. racket: There was a loud racket out in the I bought a new tennis racket.
hallway.
145. court: The judge wanted order in his The team played basketball on the court.
court. In the olden days, a man would court a
woman.
146. diet: I need to go on a diet. I diet by eating fruits and veggies.
147. minor: Kids under 18 are considered I had a minor accident.
minors.

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Reading/Language Arts, K-5