CAMBRIDGE
ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN USE ADVANCED
UNIT 91
One word, many meanings
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A |
Polysemy A Look
You |
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B |
Being aware of polysemy It • • • • Language The |
EXERCISES
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91.1 |
Find 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 |
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91.2 |
What Write |
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91.3 |
Here 1 The Their 2 Don’t Parliament 3 Let’s My 4 The Why 5 Sales You’ve 6 Do Thanks |
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91.4 |
Look |
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91.5 |
What
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91.6 |
Explain 1 2 3 4 |
ANSWER KEY
91.1
1
intend: I didn’t mean to hurt you.
2 exactly: She finished the exercise in five minutes flat.
3 proper, just: It’s only fair that we should share the housework.
4 city with the seat of government: Wellington is the capital of New
Zealand.
5 light in colour: I’ve got fair hair and burn easily in the sun.
6 unkind: You shouldn’t be so mean to your little sister.
7 fixed: To join the Fitness Club you pay a flat fee of £500.
8 neither very good nor very bad: His marks in his final exams ranged from
excellent to fair.
9 money: You need plenty of capital to open a restaurant.
10 unwilling to spend money: He’s far too mean to buy her flowers.
91.2
It’s
only fair: adjective (right)
The Frankfurt Book Fair: noun (large show)
the weather to stay fair: adjective (pleasant)
I’ve got fair skin: adjective (light)
ranged from excellent to fair: adjective (satisfactory)
the burning third-floor flat: noun (apartment)
terribly flat and boring: adjective (level)
a flat fee of £500: adjective (fixed)
B flat minor: noun (♭ =
a note that is a semitone lower than B itself)
in
five minutes flat: adverb (only; emphasises how quick a time is)
in capital letters: adjective (upper case)
the capital of New Zealand: noun (city where the country’s government
sits)
capital to open a restaurant: noun (money)
Capital punishment: adjective (punishable by death)
‘coagulate’ mean: verb (convey a meaning, express an idea)
mean to hurt you: verb (intend)
too mean to buy her flowers: adjective (opposite of generous)
be so mean: adjective (unkind)
91.3
1
match 4 post
2
bill 5 mark
3
set 6 run
91.4
a
an instrument a dentist uses to make holes in your teeth
b
training for marching
c
a powerful tool used for making holes in a road
d
an exercise practising grammar in a fairly mechanical way
91.5
1
a the list on which students are marked present or absent every day
b to send a letter or parcel in a special way so it has protection against
being lost
2 a how much performers might appeal to the public
b money earned on an investment or paid for a loan
3 a to cut up into small cubes (usually vegetables)
b a cube with a number from one to six on each side
4 a throwing the ball into the air and hitting it at the start of a turn
b the attention given to customers by staff
5 a specific problem being dealt with by lawyers
b a piece of luggage
6 a the long stick that players use in snooker or billiards
b the words or actions that tell an actor that it is his or her turn to speak
91.6
1
Then it hit me! This means ‘then I suddenly understood and then the ball
suddenly struck my body.’
2 This is based on the traditional saying that babies are delivered to a home
by a big bird called a
stork. A crane is another kind of large bird rather like a stork. But a crane
can also be a piece of
heavy machinery used to lift heavy objects.
3 In the first sentence, flies is a verb and like is a
preposition – the sentence is comparing the flight
of time with that of an arrow. In the second sentence, flies is a noun
and like is a verb and the
sentence says that fruit flies [very small insects] enjoy bananas.
4 As well as being a preposition, down is the word for very soft
feathers used to stuff, for example,
pillows or winter jackets. If prices are up, they have risen and if
they are down they have fallen.
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:
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You can download the practice sheet NOW!
Below is a list of common words with multiple meanings.
B
- 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
- no picnic–This means something is difficult and not pleasant. I’m glad I moved, but making all the preparations was no picnic.
- 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.
Polysemous English words — Wall Street English. There are many English words that are pronounced and spelled exactly the same, but have completely different meanings. … But you get a double benefit, as marketers would say: several new English words at once to replenish the vocabulary for the price of one.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the English word with the most meanings is set. It has 430 values. Here we will look at common examples of the meanings of ambiguous English words.
What words in English have multiple meanings?
And in order to read articles in English on your own and not feel discomfort, come to study at Skyeng.
- Run: 645 values …
- Set: 430 values …
- Go: 368 values …
- Take: 343 values …
- Stand: 334 values …
- Get: 289 values …
- Turn: 288 values …
- Put: 268 values
Why does one word have many meanings in English?
The English language is notable for the fact that a large number of words are polysemous. The linguistic name for this phenomenon is ‘polysemy’: from the Greek words ‘poly’ — ‘many’ and ‘sema’ — ‘meaning’. This very polysemy leads to our mistakes, misunderstanding and misinterpretation. … Their different meanings do not surprise us at all.
What’s the longest word in the English language?
The longest word found in the main dictionaries of the English language is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, which means lung disease from the inhalation of very small silica particles of volcanic ash; from a medical point of view, the disease is similar to that of silicosis.
What are unambiguous example words?
In modern Russian, there are words that have the same lexical meaning: bandage, appendicitis, birch, felt-tip pen, satin, etc. Such words are called unambiguous or monosemantic (gr.
What word in Russian has the most meanings?
Polysemous words can be among words belonging to any part of speech, except for numbers. Most polysemous words are observed among verbs. The word «go» can be called «champion» in terms of ambiguity. It has more than 40 meanings, and the verb «pull» has more than 20.
How to determine the meaning of a polysemantic word?
A word that has several lexical meanings is polysemantic. One meaning is direct, the rest are portable. A striking example of a polysemantic word is a key (spanner, treble, spring, key from the lock). Any independent part of speech can be polysemantic: a noun, an adjective, a verb, etc.
What are words with two meanings called?
Words that have two or more meanings are called polysemous. Words that answer the same question and have a similar meaning are called synonyms. Words that answer the same question, but have the opposite meaning, are called antonyms.
What are grade 2 polysemous words?
Polysemous words are words that have two or more lexical meanings. Explanatory dictionary — a dictionary that provides an explanation of the lexical meaning of a word.
Why are there so many synonyms in English?
Why are there so many synonyms in English?
It’s one thing when synonyms convey the subtlest shades of moods, qualities, intentions. … Third, you can practice your English listening skills once again — a little exercise for those seeking to improve their skills.
How many English languages?
Living languages
| Language | A type |
|---|---|
| English | West Germanic languages |
| Welsh | Celtic languages (British languages) |
| Scottish (Germanic) | West Germanic languages |
| Irish | Celtic languages (Goidel languages) |
What words refer to Homonyms?
Homonyms are words that match in sound and spelling, but have different meanings:
- glasses in a beautiful frame;
- score points in the game.
How many letters are there in the largest English word?
The longest words in English The longest word that can be found in the English dictionary contains 45 letters and calls the disease silicosis: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.
What does the word tetrahydropyranylcyclopentyltetrahydropyridopyridine mean?
Tetrahydropyranylcyclopentyltetrahydropyridopyridine is a 55-letter word describing a substance according to the patent of the Russian Federation No. 2285004. The word denoting age includes a numeral, spelled together, and the basis «-years».
What does the longest word in the world look like?
In the Guinness Book of Records, the 1993 edition, the word «X-ray electrocardiographic» was named the longest. It consists of 33 letters. In 2003, the word changed — «high-level discerning.» There are already 35 letters in it.
José is in his third and final week with me on a home stay full immersion course and has come to the conclusion that the English Language is extremely confusing and frustrating! Especially when it comes to all those words that have multiple meanings. I have to confess that he has got a point.
Take the word “run” for example. It has 179 meanings according to Dictionary.com whilst the word “take” has 127 definitions! The following infographic that was compiled by Kaplan International together with Dictionary.com highlights the 10 English words with the most meanings in the English Language. You can view this infographic here on the Kaplan website.
Kaplan has taken each word and categorised them according to the different parts of speech, for example, verb, noun, adverb, adjective and so on as well as verb phrases and idioms. As this list is very long, I’ve decided to break this list in two parts.
Part 1 will deal with the first 5 words. I’ve shown some examples of the different verb and noun meanings and verb phrases for each word.
1. RUN
Verb
- My dog loves to run about in the park (move quickly with legs)
- She runs a very successful business (manages)
- The bus company runs a regular weekend service (offer a service)
- Don’t leave your car engine running/ try running the computer programme and see if it works (machine: working)
Noun
- I always go for a 10k run in the mornings.
- The play has had a successful run in the West End. (a period of time)
- I do the school run every morning and my husband does it in the afternoon (a journey that a train, ship, car and so on does regularly)
Verb Phrases
- Her withdrawal meant that her opponent was given a clear run for the nomination (you can progress without anyone stopping you)
- He gave Tom a good run for his money (competing so well with someone that they cannot defeat you)
- He is on the run from the law (trying to escape or hide from the police)
2. TAKE
Verb
- Don’t forget to take an extra pair of shoes (move something or someone from one place to another)
- Take a deep breath ◆ James took a sip of his drink ◆ I took a quick look at the audience (to perform an action or series of actions)
- I took a course in origami at college ◆ I’ve taken my driving test three times (to study or take an exam in a particular subject)
Verb Phrases
- I like chocolate but I can take it or leave it (to not care whether you have, see or do something – informal)
- It takes all sorts (used for saying that you find someone’s behaviour surprising or strange but will accept it – spoken)
- Take it from me, this restaurant is excellent. (used to emphasize that what you’re saying is true and people should believe it – spoken)
3. BREAK
Verb
- Be careful that you don’t break those glasses (separate into pieces by dropping)
- If you break the speed limit, the penalties are high ◆ break the law. (don’t obey rules or the law)
- When the news first broke, he was no where to be found ◆ breaking news ( if news breaks, it becomes publicly known)
- Why don’t we break now and meet again after lunch? (stop what you’re doing for a period of time)
Noun
- Doctors and nurses often work very long hours without a break ◆ Let’s take/have a break.
- This could be the lucky break he’s always wanted (an opportunity that helps you achieve success)
- She decided to make the break from marketing after eighteen years (a time of major change in one’s life).
Verb Phrases
- He’s been breaking his back getting the house ready in time for the baby’s arrival (working very hard)
- I think we’ve broken the back of this project now. (British English – to finish the hardest part of a task)
- In their first year, the company broke even. (when a company doesn’t make a profit or a loss)
- I want to break free (as sung by Freddy Mercury – to escape from someone or something that is holding you or controls you)
4. TURN
Verb
- She turned around and smiled at me (change position)
- When you get to the junction, turn right (change direction)
- She could not concentrate on her book. All she seemed to be doing was turning the pages without reading them.
- After years as an amateur dancer, she turned professional ( change and do something different)
- It has turned cold again ( change and become something else)
Noun
- Oh no, is it my turn again to wash the dishes?! ◆ Is it my turn to roll the dice? (in a group and it’s your time to do something)
- The debate over drugs in sport took an unexpected turn yesterday ◆ The situation took a turn for the better/worse (a change in a situation)
- He took the wrong turn and that took him miles away from his destination (change of direction)
Verb Phrases
- He was stopped at every turn by the rigid rules (wherever or whenever someone tries to do something)
- He did her a good turn by offering her the job (an action that helps someone – also applies in the opposite “a bad turn”)
- I hope I’m not speaking out of turn, but I preferred the original version (to say something that you shouldn’t say in case you offend someone or you have no right to say it)
- The mansion was built at the turn of the century ( the time at the end of one century and the beginning of the next)
5. SET
Verb
- “Tea is served,” he told them and set the tray on the table. (put something in a position)
- I’ve set the alarm for 6am ◆ You can set the iPhone so that it does an automatic backup (to make equipment ready)
- Have you set a date for the wedding? (to decide when something will happen)
- The Bank of England sets the interest rate ◆ They set the price of the house too high. (to decide the price or value of something)
- I have set the team three challenges/goals/objectives/tasks (to give someone something to achieve)
Noun
- a set of keys ◆ a set of guidelines ◆ a complete set ◆ a chess set ( a group of things)
- the literary set ◆ the jet set◆ a set of friends (a group of people that share the same interests)
- a film set ◆ a stage set (theatre, film – place where a film or play is made)
Verb Phrases
- The drivers’ demands were not met, setting the stage for a prolonged transport strike (create the conditions for something to happen)
- They are a company that has set the standard for excellence in service (perform an activity to a level that other people need to achieve)
- Dinner will be ready soon. Could you please set the table? (put cutlery and plates on the table)
- After lunch I set to work on the mountain of paperwork on my desk (start working in a determined and enthusiastic way)
The above examples are just a few that I have selected here. Please do share with me any other meanings you know and use.
I will deal with the other five words in my next post (Part 2) so look out for it!
If you liked this post, please share it and don’t forget to subscribe to my blog if you don’t want to miss out on my posts.
Ciao for now
Shanthi
Пришло 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!
