Word for a word with many meanings

Download 500+ English Phrases

A number of English words are spelled the same way and pronounced the same way, but have different meanings.

Easy Vocabulary Words

bark

The noun bark refers to the outer covering of a tree. The verb bark refers to the sound a dog makes.

nails

The hard parts on your fingers and toes are your nails (you can also say fingernails and toenails, more specifically). Nails are also thin, sharp metal pieces used in construction.

jam

The noun jam means a sweet paste made out of fruit. It is also called jelly.

The verb jam means to put something into a space that is too small for it. For example you would jam a week’s worth of clothes into a small backpack.

A traffic jam is when the cars on the road are very slow or stopped.

pool

A pool (or swimming pool) is a man-made area of water, for swimming. Pool also refers to a game where you try to put the colored and numbered balls into the holes around the edges of the table. It can also be called billiards.

mine

The word mine is a possessive adjective. For example, “The blue car is mine.”

Mine is also a noun. It can refer to the place where minerals are dug out of the earth (this activity is called mining, and the people who do it are called miners).

A mine or landmine also refers to a bomb that is buried underground; it will explode when someone steps on it or drives over it. These are used in war.

Intermediate Vocabulary Words

bolt

A bolt is a type of metal fastener. The word bolt is also used for a single ray of lightning (a lightning bolt). Finally, bolt is a verb meaning to run extremely fast.

season

A season (noun) is a period of the year with a particular climate/weather (spring, summer, fall, winter). The verb season means to apply spices or flavorings to food. These spices or flavorings are called seasonings. For example, you might season a chicken before roasting it in the oven.

novel

A novel (noun) is a fictional book of significant length.

The word novel can also be used as an adjective to mean especially new, unusual, or different. For example, a novel approach to solving a problem.

draft

The noun draft refers to a current of air into an enclosed space. For example, if there’s a space under your front door, there will be a draft in the house and it might get cold.

Draft as a noun also refers to a version of a document, plan, or drawing. A rough draft is a version that has not yet been revised, and the final draft is the final version of it.

If a country has a draft, it means the citizens must obligatorily participate in the military. Draft can also be a verb in this case – a person can be drafted to serve in the military.

squash

The word squash refers to a family of vegetables that have hard exterior shells, and we eat the inside part. The picture shows just one type of squash; there are many.

Squash is also an indoor sport played with rackets and a ball.

Finally, the verb squash means to crush something (compress/destroy it with pressure). You would squash a spider if you saw it crawling across your kitchen floor. If you put something heavy on top of your bread when loading your grocery bags, the bread would get squashed.

Advanced Vocabulary Words

buckle

The word buckle refers to a metal clasp, such as one found on a belt. Buckle is also a verb meaning to close/fasten such a clasp. For example, you should buckle your seatbelt when you get into the car. (The opposite is unbuckle).

The other meaning for the word buckle is to collapse, especially under a lot of weight or pressure. For example, a person’s legs might buckle if they faint (become unconscious). If you buckle under the stress or your job, it means you break down emotionally.

current

The adjective current describes something that is modern or happening now.

Current as a noun refers to the direction and speed of flow of a liquid (such as water in the ocean or in a river), gas, or electricity.

harbor

A harbor (noun) is a sheltered area of water that is deep enough so that ships can anchor there.

The verb harbor means to provide shelter. For example, it is a crime to harbor a fugitive (a criminal who is running away from the police or legal authorities). You can also harbor negative feelings such as resentment or a grudge, meaning to keep those feelings alive inside you.

hatch

Hatch (verb) refers to the process of a baby bird coming out of its egg.

A hatch (noun) is an opening in the floor, ceiling, or wall of a ship or aircraft, often having a door on hinges.

racket

A racket is a piece of sports equipment containing a round frame and netting – used in tennis, squash, badminton, and other games.

The noun racket also means loud, often chaotic noise. For example, how can I study when the party next door is making a racket?

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

Learning English can be fun. It can be daunting. It can be empowering. It can also be confusing, on occasion. But one thing it definitely isn’t is boring. Even the most fluent English speakers are often surprised when they discover something new about the language: a grammar rule brought to their attention for the first time, a word that they’d never come across before or, even more surprisingly, a familiar word used in an unexpected way! Yes, it is quite common for one English word to have two (or more) completely different meanings.

The way to tell these same-spelling, different-meaning words apart is to pay attention to the context in which they are being used. This will make much more sense when we see these words in action, so let’s look at some examples.

Here is a word that has more than one meaning:

Mine

• as a noun: a place underground from where minerals are extracted
  Peter has been working at a coal mine since April.
• as a possessive pronoun: to show possession
  This is your bag, not mine.

Isn’t that interesting? The same word—mine—is used in both example sentences, but it means two entirely different things in each.

Here is a list of ten other English words with more than one meaning:

1. Interest

• as a noun: wanting to learn or know more about something
  She developed an interest in programming after taking a course in college and now she is a
  professional programmer.
• as a noun: additional money charged on a borrowed sum
  I am paying a high rate of interest on my home loan.
• as a verb: to arouse curiosity or attention
  We built interest in our product by outlining its many benefits on our social media channels.

2. Date

• as a noun: the day of the month or year
  We still haven’t set a date for the ceremony.
• as a verb: to show the age of something
  This food at this restaurant is delicious but the old-fashioned décor really dates it.

3. Engage

• as a verb: to be involved in some work or an activity
  The students hope to engage in a lively discussion with the visiting professor.
• as an adjective: to have formally agreed to marry someone
  The engaged couple shared the good news with their friends and family.

4. Leave

• as a verb: to go away from somewhere
  Ali leaves for Delhi soon.
• as a verb: to remain
  The ink will leave a stain on my shirt.
• as a verb: to deposit or deliver
  The delivery person leaves Sharmila’s parcels with her neighbor.
• as a noun: to be absent from work or duty
  Gunjan is at home on leave today. She will not be attending the meeting.

5. Novel

• as a noun: a prose, fictionalized narrative in the form of a book that often tells a complex
  story with characters and action
  My mother’s novel about three generations of women from a small town has won the National Book Award this year.
• as an adjective: something that is unique and interesting
  I discovered a novel way to spend less money and save more

6. Park

• as a noun: a public garden or area for recreation
  I am taking my children to play in the park today.
• as a verb: to bring a car or vehicle to a stop for a period of time
  We are leaving for the concert now so that we get a good spot to park the car.

7. Play

• as a verb: to engage in an activity or sport
  We are going to play football today.
  My band is playing at the City Club on Saturday. Why don’t you come check us out?
• as a verb: to act in a dramatic production
  I am playing the role of a politician in my next film.
• as a noun: a theatrical production
  Hamlet is my favorite play of all time.

8. Right

• as an adjective: morally fair, good or proper
  The right thing to do now would be to apologize for your mistake.
• as a noun: morally right or just.
  He doesn’t seem to understand the difference between right and wrong.
• as a noun: something one has legal or moral claim to
  As a citizen of this country I have voting rights.
• as a noun: the direction or location of something
  If you look to your right, you will see the Museum of Natural History.

9. Run

• as a verb: to move faster than while walking
  Don’t run down the street, that’s dangerous!
• as a verb: to go somewhere in urgency or distress (not literally “running”, necessarily)
  Even as an adult, I run to my mother with all my problems.
• as a verb: to contend in a race of some kind
  I intend to run for President four years from now.
• as a noun: a continuous spell of a something
  Souvik has a had a run of bad luck this year.

10. Type

• as a noun: a category of things or people that share something in common
  They sell all types of fabric in that store.
• as a verb: to write something on a keypad by pressing keys
  Wow! You type very fast!

Now that’s a lot of different meanings for only a few words, isn’t it? And if you’ll believe it – many of these words can be used in even more ways than the ones listed here. But don’t be overwhelmed, a good online or print dictionary will help you find all the meanings of any English word you might encounter. And the more you read and speak in English, the stronger your vocabulary will become.

Here’s another great idea – to really power up your vocabulary try a Burlington English course! We have expert teachers on hand to guide you with our spoken English training courses that will take your language learning journey to the next level.