A word with various meanings

english words with multiple meanings

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Last updated:

January 31, 2022

Once upon a time, there was a fair boy at the fair, and he was really fair!

There was also a bat flying around a bat, a friend of mine in a mine and a man with a bow bowing to an audience.

Welcome to the Polysemy (when a single word or phrase has multiple meanings) Fair where nothing is what it seems, and words get crazy different meanings just for the sake of fun.

But before you come in, you have to tell me what homophones, homographs and homonyms are.

If you do not know what they are (or even if you do!), you had better read this post before you enter the Fair unprepared and get lost forever!


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What Are Homophones, Homographs and Homonyms?

They may sound dangerous and creepy, but homophones, homographs and homonyms are part of our daily life, regardless of what your mother language is.

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings.

When you say “I have only one eye,” however weird that sentence might sound, the words I and eye sound exactly the same, but they obviously have different meanings.

The same happens with words such as break and brake, here and hear or hour and our, just to give you a few examples.

On the other hand, homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different pronunciations.

Take the verb read as an example.

The infinitive is pronounced /ri:d/ (with a long i), but the past tense and the past participle are pronounced /red/, as in the color red. They are written in the exact same way, but their pronunciations are different.

Finally, we have homonyms. They are words that either sound or are spelled identically but have different meanings.

Homonyms can be homophones, homographs or both, so to make things easy for you, we will be calling this post’s words homonyms unless stated otherwise.

Every language has homonyms, and language learners tend to have a rough time when trying to learn them.

Let’s have a look at the title of this post: The fair boy at the fair is really fair.

If it is the first time you have seen the word fair, you are probably having a language heart attack right now.

If you have seen this word before, though, you most likely know its meaning as a noun (funfair, carnival). But what about the other two? Keep reading!

There are several methods to learn the different meanings of words. You can look them up (search) in a dictionary, check an online translator or even ask a friend if they are around and able to help you.

From Fairs to Novels: 21 Everyday English Words with Multiple Meanings

The following 21 words are common English words that have different meanings and/or pronunciations. They can be a little tricky sometimes, but thanks to this post, you will be able to master them in no time. So, let the fun begin!

1. Fair

As you have already seen in the introduction, this word can have different meanings depending on whether it is a noun or an adjective. You know its meaning as a noun, and you probably also know one of its meanings as an adjective, but I am sure you would have never thought a carnival and a hair/skin color were spelled the same in English.

Meaning #1: a carnival; a public event where there are games, competitions, rides and entertainment

Also, in the United States, a fair is an event where farm products and animals are shown and judged.

The boy showed his horse and his two pigs at the state fair.

Meaning #2: treating someone right or in a way that does not favor other people

The boy at the fair is very fair with his siblings when they play games together.

Meaning #3: having light skin and/or hair

The fair boy at the fair is very fair with his siblings.

Since her skin is so fair, she has to be careful when she goes in the sun.

2. Saw

You probably know this word as the past tense of the verb to see, but did you know it can also be a tool and the infinitive of another verb?

Saw comes from the Old English word saga (to cut), but also from the Middle English word sawen (knife), hence its different meanings nowadays.

Meaning #1: a device or tool with sharp teeth, typically made of metal

He used a saw to cut the branch of the tree.

Meaning #2: to saw, to cut with a saw

He is going to saw the tree down with a saw.

Meaning #3: past tense of the verb to see.

I saw the saw he used to saw the tree down.

3. Fell

Now this one’s tricky.

A lot of my beginner students think this is the past tense of to feel, but actually it is the past tense of the verb to fall. What not many non-native speakers know is that it can also be the infinitive form of a different verb, and also a formal adjective!

Meaning 1: past tense of the verb to fall

The girl fell on the floor and started crying.

Meaning #2: to fell, to knock or cut down, to cause to fall

He used an ax to fell the tree.

Meaning #3: (formal) fierce, cruel, savage

He was imprisoned by his fell enemy.

4. Found

This word is another example of the past tense of a verb that is also the infinitive of a different verb.

Meaning #1: past tense and past participle of the verb to find (to come upon by chance, to locate)

I found a lot of old books in the attic yesterday.

Meaning #2: to found, to set up or establish, to base on, to provide a basis for

We want to found a new translation company.

5. Bow

Bow is a word that can have several different meanings. It is a homograph because the pronunciation is slightly different between the noun and verb form.  As a noun, for example, you can wear one around your neck or use one to attack someone. As a verb, you can use it to show respect.

Don’t you love English!

Meaning #1: to bow, to bend forward at the neck or waist in order to greet someone or show respect

We must all bow before the queen.

Meaning #2: a knot made by tying a ribbon into two or more loops, often referred to as bow tie

He is wearing a green bow tie.

Meaning #3: a weapon used for shooting arrows

The hunter had a bow and many arrows.

6. Crane

I still remember when I learned this word myself. I imagined a giant machine that transformed into a bird. I have never forgotten this word!

Meaning #1: a big machine with a long arm used by builders to lift or move big objects

I think we are going to need a crane to lift that statue.

Meaning #2: a tall bird that has a long neck and long legs; it lives near water

It is impossible to observe (see) a crane here. There is no water around.

7. Date

This is an easy one.

If you are a romantic person, this word will probably make you think of special occasions with a partner. If time is important for you, you will see a date as a day on a calendar. Both options are correct, but there is more!

Meaning #1: a specific day of a month or year

What is the date today?

Meaning #2: a situation where two people who have or want to have a romantic relationship do some activity together

I would love to go on a date with you.

Meaning #3: the person you go on a date with

Mary is my date for tonight.

Meaning #4: to date someone, to do some kind of activity with a person you have or want to have a romantic relationship with.

Mary and I are dating.

Meaning #5: to date something, to write the date on something

Please, do not forget to sign and date your exam.

8. Minute

Here we have a homograph. Minute is pronounced /minit/ when it refers to time. It can also refer to size, in which case it is pronounced /mai’niut/.

Meaning #1: a unit of time equal to 60 seconds

We have been waiting for 20 minutes.

Meaning #2: always in the plural (minutes), the official record of everything that is said and done during a meeting

Ms. Roche will be taking the minutes during the meeting.

Meaning #3: an adjective meaning tiny, very small

With this new device, we are able to see even the most minute particles.

9. Second

If you are interested in etymology (study of words), you will like this word!

Second has two main meanings, one referring to time and one referring to something or someone coming after first. I was surprised to find out both these meanings come from the same Latin word secundus (following, next in time or order).

Apart from being a noun, second can also be a verb.

In this case, the origin of the word is from the Latin word secundare (to assist, to make favorable).

Meaning #1: occupies the second position in a series, importance or rank

Soup is my second choice.

Meaning #2: (always plural) another serving of food taken after you have finished the first one

Do you want seconds?

Meaning #3: a unit of time equal to 1/60 of a minute

It took him 35 seconds to open the box.

Meaning #4: to second, to approve something, to agree with somebody

I am tired. Let’s go home.

I will second that.

10. Type

They say that everyone has a type, but what exactly does that mean?

You can type in different kinds of types, enjoy different types of food and have different types in reference to people. It all depends on the meaning of type you are referring to.

Meaning #1: a particular kind of thing or person

I do not like this type of food. It is too greasy.

Meaning #2: the kind of person someone likes

Bea is totally my type.

Meaning #3: the different kinds of printed letters

Please, do not use the italic type. Use bold.

Meaning #4: to type, to write with a typewriter or a computer keyboard

I can type 200 words per minute.

11. Nail

Every time I hear the word nail, I think about the program “Nailed it!,” which I really recommend you watch if you love cooking and comedy, and you want to listen to some American English to improve your language skills.

Meaning #1: a piece of metal that is sharp at one end and flat at the other, usually used to attach things to wood

I used the biggest nail I had to hang the picture frame.

Meaning #2: the hard covering at the end of our fingers and toes

Sarah gets her nails painted every Tuesday.

Meaning #3: to nail, to attach something with a nail

We need to nail those boards.

Meaning #4: (slang) to nail, to do something perfectly or in an impressive way

I nailed the final test. I am so proud of myself!

12. Bark

What do dogs and trees have in common? Dogs bark and trees have bark!

I find it very interesting that a tree’s bark and to bark come from different origin words.

The hard covering of plants probably comes from the Old Norse word börkr (bark, likely related to the word birch). The sound dogs make comes from the Old English word beorcan (to bark, to utter an abrupt, explosive cry).

Meaning #1: the outer covering of a tree

Some types of bark are very beautiful.

Meaning #2: the loud sound made by a dog

His dog gave a very loud bark.

Meaning #3: to bark (from a dog or a person), to make a short loud sound

If her dog does not stop barking, I will call the police.

Stop barking at me and try to calm down.

13. Mine

If I tell you I like to mine in this mine because it is mine, you may or may not understand what I am saying, but you will after you have a look at the following meanings of the word mine.

Meaning #1: that which belongs to me

I like to mine in this mine because it is mine.

The blue bike is mine.

Meaning #2: a tunnel from which minerals are taken

I like to mine in this mine because it is mine.

He works in a gold mine.

Meaning #3: to mine, to dig a mine or to take away from a mine

I like to mine in this mine because it is mine.

She likes to mine for crystals.

14. Season

Even though the two main meanings of the word season do not seem to be related, they have an almost common ancestor, and once you understand its origin, it totally makes sense.

Season comes from the Old French word seison (a period of the year, proper time).

To season comes from the Old French word assaisoner (to ripen, to improve the flavor of).

These two Old French words are related. When the time was right (seison), fruits and vegetables grew ripe (assaisoner), which made them more palatable (tasty). Neat!

Meaning #1: one of the four periods into which the year is divided; a particular period of time during the year.

My favorite season is winter.

It is flu season.

Meaning #2: to season, to add salt, pepper or other spices to give something more flavor

Season to taste and serve hot.

15. Bat

Did you know that Batman got his name from an animal? Have you ever seen Batman use a bat to bat someone? No, not the animal, the stick!

Notice how, similarly to nail with a nail, you can say to bat with a bat. Do you see a pattern already?

Meaning #1: a long rounded stick used to hit a ball

Mendoza gave me his baseball bat.

Meaning #2: to hit with a bat

I want to bat next.

Meaning #3: an animal with wings and a furry body

I am afraid of bats.

16. Row

The main meaning of this word is a line of people or things that are next to each other.

Additionally, row can also be a verb that means to move a boat through the water with the use of oars.

Meaning #1: a straight line of people or things that are next to each other; a row of seats (in a theater or stadium).

We are going to arrange the desks in five rows of six desks each.

Meaning #2: to row, to move a boat through water by using oars

I like to row my boat in the calm lake.

17. Water

I love looking at my students’ faces when I tell them that water can be a verb.

Indeed, as it happens with many words in English, nouns can be used as verbs. In this case, the noun water, which we all know, can be used to mean to pour water on something, as on a plant, for example.

Meaning #1: a clear liquid with no color, smell or taste that falls from clouds in the form of rain, forms seas and lakes and is used for drinking, bathing, washing, etc.

I love drinking water in the morning.

Meaning #2: to water, to pour water on something; to give an animal water to drink

Please, water my plants while I am in Spain.

18. Boot

Some of us know the verb to boot means to start a computer.

British people call the trunk of a car a boot, and Americans often use this word when talking about cowboy boots.

But there is more you can learn about this word.

Meaning #1: a covering for the foot normally made of leather or rubber

I cannot find my winter boots anywhere.

Meaning #2: the trunk of a car

They found the missing money in the boot of his car.

Meaning #3: to boot, to force to leave a place; to fire

They booted James yesterday!

Meaning #4: to boot, to lock a Denver boot onto the wheel of a car so that it cannot move.

The parking attendant booted my car.

19. Club

Club has several meanings, ranging from a group of people who participate in a specific activity to a place where you can listen to music, eat some food and drink alcohol.

Other meanings include a metal stick used in golf, a wooden stick used as a weapon and even a suit in a deck of cards! That is polysemy at its finest!

Meaning #1: a group of people who meet to participate in an activity

The chess club has 200 members already.

Meaning #2: the place where members of a club meet

I will meet you in front of the chess club at 7 p.m.

Meaning #3: a business that provides entertainment, music, food, drinks, etc.

They are opening a new dance club near your house next weekend.

Meaning #4: a metal stick used for hitting a golf ball

My daughter is using my golf clubs. Can I borrow yours?

Meaning #5: a heavy wooden stick that is used as a weapon

One of the attackers hit me with a club.

Meaning #6: (plural) one of the suits in a deck of playing cards

I got the ten of clubs.

Meaning #7: to club, to hit a person or an animal with a stick or object

He clubbed the poisonous snake in his bedroom.

20. Key

What if I told you that the main definition of the word key is just one of over a dozen?

Do not panic, I will not make you learn all the different meanings of key, but it would be awesome if you learned the main ones.

Meaning #1: a device you use to open a lock or start a car

I think I have lost my keys.

Meaning #2: something that is necessary to do or achieve something

The key to learning English is practicing every day.

Meaning #3: any of the buttons of a typewriter or computer

I love typing without looking at the keys.

Meaning #4: used as an adjective to mean extremely important

He is a key worker in our company.

Meaning #5: (informal) to key, to have the most important part in something

Marcus keyed the victory for the Eagles.

21. Novel

We normally think of books when we hear the word novel, but novel can also be used as an adjective to mean that something is new and different.

Meaning #1: a long written story, normally dealing with imaginary people and events

I have published five novels so far.

Meaning #2: new and different from what has been known before

His novel approach to the problem helped us find a solution.

Phew! There you have it, 21 everyday English words with multiple meanings!

My advice is that you learn all the different meanings of a word at once when you are acquiring (learning) new vocabulary (or expanding your word bank).

If a word is very polysemic, at least learn its main meanings. This will save you time when you come across that word again in the future.

As you have been able to see in this post, by learning just one of the meanings of a word you are leaving a lot of information behind. In order to avoid that, one of the best solutions is to spend a little more time with each word you learn.


Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Many English words have multiple meanings. This means that the same word, with the same spelling and pronunciation may have more than one meaning. Sometimes the meanings may be very different. This can be confusing for people learning English. You may wonder,” How do I know what the meaning is?” The best way is rely on context, illustrations, or diagrams in the text. However, if you still are not sure of the meaning, look it up. A dictionary will tell you all the meanings of any word. This posting cannot discuss every word with multiple meanings. There are simply too many of them. In this posting, however, I talk about 25 common words with multiple meanings. These are word you may see and hear in your daily life. I show you parts of speech, definitions, and example sentences for each meaning of each word.The download at the end will give you additional practice understanding words with multiple meanings.

Here is the free English video lesson I taught on YouTube:

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to see all of our lessons and get the latest videos right away!

You can download the practice sheet NOW!

Below is a list of common words with multiple meanings.

B

  1. bank

2. bark

3. bill

4. break

5. bug

C

6. charge

7. company

8. current

D-H

9. date

10. fair

11. fast

12. fly

13. hit

J-N

14. jam

15. left

16. mine

17. nail

P-R

18. patient

19. pool

20. pupil

21. run

S-T

22. season

23. set

24. take

25. turn

You now know many common English words with multiple meanings. Often you can guess the meaning of the word through context. If that is not helpful, however, don’t hesitate to look the word up. The download will give you additional practice understanding words with multiple meanings.

You can download the practice sheet NOW!

Idioms of the day

  1. no picnic–This means something is difficult and not pleasant. I’m glad I moved, but making all the preparations was no picnic
  2. turn a blind eye to–This means to not notice a very obvious problem. Her husband comes home drunk every night, but she turns a blind eye to his problems. She insists that he’s not an alcoholic. 

5.1. Polysemantic
and monosemantic words. Classification

5.2. Diachronic
approach to polysemy.

5.3. Synchronic
approach to polysemy.

5.4. The
semantic structure of correlated words in English and Russian.

5.5. The
national character of the semantic structure.

5.1.
Polysemy
is the ability of words to have more than one meaning. A word with
several meanings is called polysemantic.
Monosemantic
words, which have only one meaning, are comparatively few; they are
mainly scientific terms (e.g. hydrogen) or rare words (e.g.
flamingo).

The bulk of English words are
polysemantic. All the meanings of a polysemantic word make up a
system which is called the semantic structure of the word.

e.g. The
word
TABLE
has the semantic structure made up of at least 9 meanings:

  1. piece of furniture;

  2. the persons seated at a
    table;

  3. (sing.) food put on the
    table;

  4. a thin flat piece of
    stone, metal, wood, etc.;

  5. (pl.) slabs of stone;

  6. words cut into them or
    written on them (the Ten Tables);

  7. an orderly arrangement of
    facts, figures, etc.;

  8. part of a machine tool on
    which work is put;

  9. a level area, a plateau.

5.2. Polysemy
can be viewed diachronically
and synchronically.

The system of meanings of a
polysemantic word develops gradually, mostly over centuries, as new
meanings are added to old ones or oust some of them. As a result, the
total number of meanings grows, and the vocabulary is enriched.

Thus,
polysemy
viewed diachronically

is a historic change in the semantic structure of a word that results
in disappearance of some meanings and appearance of new meanings, and
also in the rearrangement of the meanings in the semantic structure.

Diachronically,
we distinguish between the
primary meaning

and secondary
meanings

of a word.

The
primary meaning

is the oldest meaning of the word, its original meaning with which
the word first appeared in the language,

e.g. the
primary meaning of
TABLE
is «slabs of stone»: O.E. tabule f. Lat tabula.

All the other meanings
appeared later than the primary meaning.

When we
describe a meaning as secondary
we imply that it can’t have appeared before the primary meaning; when
we say a meaning is derived we imply not only that but also that it
is dependent on another meaning and subordinate to it,

e.g. TABLE
1,2,3 are secondary, appeared later than TABLE 5;

TABLE 2, 3 are derived from
TABLE 1.

The main
source of polysemy is semantic
derivation

(radiation of meanings; adding new meanings to the existing ones).

Polysemy
may also result from homonymy.
When two words coincide in sound-form, their meanings come to be felt
as making up one semantic structure.

e.g. the
human
EAR
(f. Lat auris) and the
EAR
of corn

(f. Lat acus, aceris) diachronically are homonyms. Synchronically,
however, they are perceived as two meanings of one polysemantic word
ear. The ear of corn is felt to be a metaphoric meaning (Of.: the eye
of a needle, the foot of the mountain) and thus, as a derived meaning
of the word. Cases of this type are comparatively rare.

5.3.
Viewed
synchronically
,
polysemy is understood as co-existence of several meanings of the
same word and their arrangement in the semantic structure.

The status
of individual meanings is not the same. We distinguish between the
central (=basic, major) meaning

and minor
meanings.

How do we determine which
meaning is the basic one?

(1) The basic meaning occurs
in various and widely different contexts. It is representative of the
word taken in isolation, i.e. it occurs to us when we hear/see the
word in isolation; that is why it is called a free meaning.

e.g. the
central meaning of TABLE is «a piece of furniture» Minor
meanings occur only in specific contexts
,
e.g. to
keep the table amused (TABLE 2) or the table of contents (TABLE 7).

(2) The basic meaning has the
highest frequency in speech,

e.g. TABLE
1 has the highest frequency value and makes up 52% of all the uses of
the word; TABLE 7 accounts for 35%; all the other meanings between
them make up just 13% of all the uses.

(3) The basic meaning is
usually stylistically neutral and minor meanings are as a rule
stylistically coloured,

e.g.
YELLOW
1) coloured like egg yoke or gold (neutral),

2) sensational (Am slang),

3) cowardly (coll).

Synchronically,
we also distinguish between direct
meanings

and figurative
(transferred) meanings
,

e.g. YELLOW 4) (fig) (of
looks, mood, feelings, etc.) jealous, envious, suspicious.

We should note that a word may
have two or more central meanings,

e.g. GET
«obtain» and «arrive» are equally central in the
semantic structure.

As the semantic structure of a
word is never static, the status (type) of its meanings may change in
the course of time. The primary meaning may become a minor one; a
secondary meaning may become the central meaning of a word.

e.g. The
primary meaning of
QUICK
is «living»; it is still retained in the semantic structure
but has become a minor meaning which occurs only in some expressions:
to touch/ wound to the quick, the quick and the dead; «rapid,
fast» has become the central meaning.

5.4.
Words of different languages are said to be correlated when their
central meanings coincide,

e.g. table
– c
тол
«piece of furniture».

But there
is practically no one-to-one correspondence between the semantic
structures of correlated polysemantic words of different languages.
The relations between correlated words are quite complicated, and we
may single out the following cases (and show them graphically).

The semantic structures of two
correlated words may coincide; usually they are monosemantic words,

e.g.
flamingo.

We
can show this relationship like this: two overlapping circles.

If the
number of meanings is different, the semantic structure of one word
may include that of its correlate it is the relationship of
inclusion,

e.g.
MEETING
1) a gathering of people for a purpose

2)
the people in such a gathering

3) the coming together of
two or more people, by chance or arrangement

МИТИНГ
a (political) gathering of a number of people».

Some meanings of two
correlated words may coincide and the others don’t. This is the
relationship of intersection.

e.g.
BOY МАЛЬЧИК

1) male child 1) male
child,

  1. young man 2) apprentice
    (obs.),

  2. male native servant,

  3. junior sailor.

5.5.
All lexical meanings of a polysemantic word are interconnected.
The relations beween them are based on various logical and
psychological associations. Some of these relations are common to all
or to many languages; others are peculiar to a particular language.
Thus, a semantic structure has a national character (some specific
characteristics).

Relations
that
are common to all/most languages are:

1)
metaphorical
relations
,

e.g ass
1
«animal»
осёл
1
«animal»,

ass 2
(fig)
«stupid person» — осёл
2
«person».

2)
metonymic
relations
,

e.g. table
1

«piece of furniture» —
стол
1
«piece of furniture»,

table 3

«food«
– стол
3

«food
put on (1)
«.

Relations
typical of English, but not of Russian are:

1.
One and the same English verb may have both transitive and
intransitive meanings in its semantic structure,

e.g. Paper
burns easily.
(intr)
Cf.:
гореть,

She burnt his letters, (tr)
жечь.

2. One
word has countable and uncountable, concrete and abstract meanings,

e.g. his
love of painting Сf.:
живопись
the
paintings on the wall картина,

coal — a coal, hair — a
hair.

3. In the same semantic
structure we find individual and collective meanings,

e.g.
YOUTH 1) young people collectively Сf.: молодежь,

  1. a young man – юноша,

  2. the
    state of being young — юность
    .

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Odds and EndsПришло время обратить внимание на некоторые простые общеизвестные слова, имеющие много разных значений. (О словах round  и mean мы уже писали). Возьмем, к примеру, слово “run”, известное всем как «бежать, бегать» — у него около 179 значений, а у слова “take” — 127 значений! Мы решили рассмотреть некоторые самые необходимые значения таких слов, которые могут быть разными частями речи, например, одно и то же слово, не изменяя своей формы, может быть существительным, глаголом, прилагательным и наречием, а также принимать участие в идиомах и фразах.

1. RUN

В качестве глагола:

    • My cat loves to run after rats (бегать) – моя кошка любит бегать за крысами
    • My sister runs a law firm (руководить) – моя сестра руководит юридической фирмой
    • Our company runs car-washing service (предлагать услуги) – наша компания предлагает услуги по мойке машин
    • If you run this computer program you will protect your computer against viruses. (загрузить/установить программу) – если вы загрузите эту компьютерную программу вы защитите ваш компьютер против вирусов.

В качестве существительного

  • We go for a run every morning. (пробежка) – мы ходим на пробежку каждое утро
  • Our play will have a short run in this city. (период времени) – наша пьеса будет недолго идти в этом городе
  • The bus makes a regular run to the country (маршрут) – автобус совершает регулярные рейсы в деревню

2. TAKE

В качестве глагола

    • Take this cake for your sister (брать) – возьми это пирожное для своей сестры
    •  I took a deep breath / Children took a sip of their juice / she took a look at the people before her (выполнить какое-то действие) – я глубоко вздохнул / дети отхлебнули свой сок/ она посмотрела на людей перед собой.
    • If you want to be successful you should take a course of study at college (учиться) — Если ты хочешь добиться успеха в жизни,тебе следует отучиться в колледже

Глагольные конструкции

  • That’s my final offer. Take it or leave it. — Это мое последнее предложение. Или соглашайся, или гуд-бай. (отсутствие выбора)
  • It takes all sorts (to make the world) — Всякие люди бывают / человек человеку рознь
  • Take it from me, this story is interesting – можете мне поверить, эта история интересная (используется для усиления того, что мы говорим)

3. TURN

В качестве глагола

  • The child turned around saw his mother (изменить положениее) – ребенок оглянулся и увидел свою мать
  • Turn left than right (изменить направление) – поверните налево, затем направо
  • Now turn the page and find exercise 5 (перевернуть страницу) – сейчас переверните страницу и найдите упражнение 5
  • From a student she turned a teacher (стать другим) – из студентки она стала учителем
  • As winter came it turned cold ( измениться — о погоде) – пришла зима и стало холодно

В качестве существительного

  • It is your turn to speak (очередь) – ваша очередь говорить
  • Our meeting took an unexpected turn (изменение ситуации) – наша встреча приняла неожиданный поворот
  • Be careful when driving and take a right turn (изменение направления) – будьте осторожны при вождении и поверните в нужном месте

Глагольные конструкции

  • She cuts costs at every turn – она постоянно экономит деньги
  • I made him a good turn by inviting to participate in my project – я оказал ему хорошую услугу, пригласив принять участие в своем проекте.
  • He made me a bad turn by introducing to that terrible person – он оказал мне плохую услугу, познакомив с этим ужасным человеком.
  • Why does this woman always speak out of turn? – почему эта женщина всегда всех перебивает (говорит вне очереди)?
  • We were happy to live at the turn of the century – нам посчастливилось жить на рубеже двух столетий

Таких слов с множеством значений в английском языке много. С некоторыми из них мы вас познакомим в одной из следующих статей. Следите за обновлениями!

prosba avtora

In the children’s book series, Amelia Bedelia, Amelia is often asked to complete tasks in which she takes the instructions literally. For example, she’s asked to dress the chicken. What does she do? Amelia literally puts a little green pair of shorts and a pink top on the chicken. 

Was that what her instructions meant? Of course not! She was supposed to prepare the chicken for cooking. But that’s just it:  The English language is complex because sometimes the same word can be used in a different context and have a whole new meaning. This is what’s referred to as a homonym or homophone. Let’s dive into the most frequently used English words that have double or multiple meanings.

  • What are homonyms?
  • What are homophones?

Start your journey to reach fluency


Most frequently used English words with multiple meanings 

It’s vital to understand and recognize homophones and homonyms when in conversation with someone because you wouldn’t want to mistakenly dress a chicken up in clothing, would you?

Exactly!

Let’s first analyze homonyms. 

What are Homonyms?

Homonyms are words that are spelled the same and sound the same but mean something different. We’ve compiled a list of common homonyms below.

1. Jam 

When used as a noun, jam means the sweet Smucker strawberry jelly you smudge on your PB&J sandwich. 

The verb jam could also have numerous meanings. For one, it could be used to refer to playing music. Here’s an example, “I got my drums and he’s got his guitar… it’s time to jam”. 

2. Pool

Pool can mean the body of water in a backyard that’s used to swim in. 

For example: “After a long day at work, I relaxed in my pool.”

The other version is the game of billiards or using a stick to push a ball into a specific corner of the playing table. When you play pool, you’re competing against another person to get as many of your color balls into the hole first as possible. 

3. Season

The smell of freshly cut grass and distant giggles of kids splashing about in their pool are all sounds of summer. Summer is a season just like winter, fall and spring. Because the Sun and Earth are constantly moving, the sun shines differently across different areas on Earth. This creates different temperatures during the time periods we call seasons. 

But “season” is a word with a double meaning: Indeed, you can season your food with salt and pepper to give it a bit of spice and pizazz! 

4. Read

This word is special because it means the same thing in context but the way you say it indicates either past tense or present. The present tense version of “read” means to utter aloud, as in “I am going to read you this story right now”. 

The other option, “read”, is pronounced like the color red. It means to have already studied or read aloud. 

5. Letter

A letter can be a written note typically delivered via email or the symbols we use to make up words. To illustrate, “I wrote a letter to my brother while he was away at war”.

6. Nail

A nail is a protective layer of hard skin on your fingers and on most other mammals such as gorillas or cats. Some prefer to paint their nails to give them some spunk!  

On the other hand, a nail could be a piece of metal used to keep two objects together. Nails are used to secure paintings to the wall or piece together bits of furniture. 

7. Bat

A bat is a nocturnal bird-like animal, while the other type of bat is a wooden object used to hit a baseball.

8. Fly

In the sentence, “I will fly a plane someday” the word “fly” is used as a verb. Whereas, if I say “That tiny buzzing fly landed on my fresh food while I was eating”, I’m using the word fly as a noun. 

These are only some of the most frequently used homonyms out of many.

What are homophones?

Homophones are words that are spelled differently and have different meanings but sound the same. Below are some of the most common ones:

1. One vs won

You might have one single pet or you may have won your last basketball game. One is a single unit of something and won is a victory.

2. Aloud vs allowed

Do you have kids? If so, let’s say you’ve put this rule into place: you aren’t allowed to eat chocolate ice cream before bed. The word allowed in this sentence means not permitted. 

In contrast, the word aloud means to be audible. For instance, “the teacher assigned Juliet to read chapter 8 of Charlotte’s Web aloud”. 

3. Affect vs effect

Affect means to make a difference. Effect on the other hand is a result. These words go hand in hand because to be affected means to have an effect. Let me clarify with an example. 

Amanda wondered if Crest White Strips would affect her teeth.

Crest White Strips had the promised effect on Amanda’s teeth. 

4. Here vs hear

Can you guess the difference between the meaning given these two sentences?

  • Can you come over here and help me fix this sink?
  • I can’t hear what you said because I’m too far away.

In the first sentence, “here” suggests a location, and the person who needs help is in a different place than the person they need help from. 

You’ll notice in the second statement, “hear” suggests he or she cannot perceive what is being said because of the distance. 

5. Buy vs by vs bye

Did you just sing the “Bye Bye Bye” NSYNC song in your head? Yeah, me too. The “bye” used in that song implies a farewell greeting and is short for goodbye. Use the word “buy” when you need to purchase something and the word “by” to refer to a location. Let me further explain with a couple of sample sentences:

  • I got back on the plane and said bye to my boyfriend after a lovely trip together.
  • I had to buy some fresh oranges from the store.
  • Can you get her purse? It’s right by the door. 

6. Your vs you’re

“You’re” is a contraction of the words “you are”. A contraction is a select group of words that are shortened and replaced with an apostrophe. A good way to see if you should use your or you’re is to revert to “you are” instead of “you’re” and see if it makes sense in the sentence. 

For example, which sentence sounds correct:

  • Is that your coat over there?
  • Is that you are (you’re) coat over there?

The first one, right!? The one your in the first sentence symbolizes belonging. What belonged to the person? The coat belonged to the person. 

7. Ate vs eight

I ate pizza for dinner. Here, the word ate means to consume and is the past tense version of eat. The other version, eight, is the number after seven and before nine. 

8. Eye vs I

An eye is the body part you use to see the world, while “I” is a pronoun that’s used when you’re talking about yourself. Here are some examples:

  • I was running late for my date because there was a traffic jam.
  • I saw the magic trick with my very own eyes.

Start your journey to reach fluency

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