Word for words with multiple meanings

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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?

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?

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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.

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If you are learning English online, you probably already know there are many reasons why it isn’t the easiest language to learn. It includes plenty of phrasal verbs, many irregular conjugations and some truly unpredictable pronunciation rules. What’s more, just because two words are spelled and pronounced the same, doesn’t always mean they have the same definition.

For example, if I have a novel idea, that doesn’t mean that the idea I’m speaking about comes from a novel, or storybook (in fact, it means quite the opposite – that my idea is very original)! 

Sometimes you can determine what these words mean through context. Or to make life easier, you could simply read our guide to commonly used words that look the same, but hold different meanings.

What do you call words with multiple meanings? 

Two words spelled the same but with different meanings are called homographs. 

Homographs are words that are spelled the same but may or may not be pronounced differently. 

Words that are spelled and pronounced the same, but have different meanings, are called homonyms. 

Below are some examples of homographs with different pronunciations and homonyms, or words pronounced the same.

Homographs: examples of words that are spelled the same but are pronounced differently

Bow /bəʊ/

• (noun) A knot tied with two loops – usually used when tying shoelaces or wrapping gifts.

She tied her hair up with ribbon and made a little bow.

• (noun) A weapon used in archery to propel arrows.

Pierre slung the bow and arrows over his shoulder and trudged into the forest.

Bow /baʊ/

• (verb) To bend the upper part of the body to show respect.

When Mae meets her grandparents, she always bows to greet them.

Lead /liːd/

• (verb) To direct someone, to cause someone to follow

My father doesn’t like Simon. He thinks he’s leading me astray.

N.B.: People often confuse the past tense of lead. Led is the past tense, not lead.

• (noun) A person or route that enables one to access information.

We finally have a lead in this case – the man we just interviewed says he knew the victim!

Lead /lɛd/

• (noun) A poisonous, soft and malleable metal that was used in pencils.

Car batteries and ammunition are often made with lead.

Row /rəʊ/

• (noun) A straight line going across horizontally

The row in the table indicates the country and each column indicates the number of awards received each year.

• (noun) A line of seats in the theatre.

My tickets show that I am in Row C.

• (verb) Using two oars to propel a boat.

Lee wakes up every morning at 5am to practice rowing.

Row /raʊ/

• (noun – British informal) A quarrel

Priya and Puja often row about who gets to play video games.

Homonyms: examples of words that are spelled and pronounced the same

Bark

• (noun) The outer layer of a tree 

Tree bark is used to make paper. 

• (verb) A sound a dog makes.

The dog’s bark was so vicious that I ran away, terrified. 

Nail

• (noun) The hard surface on the tips of your fingers.

She went to the salon to get her nails done.

• (noun) A small metal spike with a flat tip drilled into wood to join things together.

Claire drilled a nail into the wall to hang up a picture.

• (verb – US informal) To get something completely correct, or to make no errors.

I nailed that exam – it was far too easy!

Novel

• (noun) A fiction book.

“The Grapes of Wrath” is John Steinbeck’s best novel.

• (adjective) Something new or original.

The steam engine was a novel invention that changed the way people traveled.

Season

• (noun) Changes in the weather marked by shifting temperatures. These include summer, winter, spring and autumn.

My favorite season is winter because the snow is so magical.

• (verb) To enhance the flavor of a dish by using spices like basil, cumin, turmeric, paprika etc.

The recipe says to season the dish with plenty of salt and pepper.

Squash 

• (verb) To crush or squeeze something (generally to destroy it). Can be used literally or metaphorically.

She squashed my dreams of ever becoming a famous singer.

• (noun) A family of vegetables with hard orange or green shells.

My dad made butternut squash soup for dinner.

Racket

• (noun) A piece of equipment used when playing tennis – i.e. a tennis racket.

I hate carrying my racket around when I have tennis practice – it’s so huge and annoying.

• (noun) A load, unpleasant noise-causing disruption.

I couldn’t sleep with the racket coming from the party next door.

Words with multiple meanings: annoying but also pretty funny  

Phew, the English language can be complicated, right? In fact, English is said to have almost twice the number of words as most Latin-based languages. Add to that the fact that many common words have multiple meanings, and you might want to throw out your textbooks in despair. 

Don’t get too frustrated though. It can be confusing that many words have multiple meanings, but it’s also a source of comedy. In English, it’s very easy to make jokes that exploit the fact that a word means two different things.

For example, “To the guy who invented zero, thanks for nothing.” This is funny because “thanks for nothing” is a sarcastic expression that means “I’m annoyed at you because you haven’t helped me at all,” and at the same time, “nothing” is a synonym for “zero.” Jokes that rely on words with multiple meanings are called puns. Listen out for them next time you’re watching a comedy show in English!  

What are polysemous words? Is it easy to understand someone if they say ‘did you get the bat?’ Polysemy refers to a single word with more than one meaning. The multiple meanings are listed under one entry in a dictionary. An example of polysemy is the word dish. If we took a look at the dictionary we see that dish has multiple definitions, or polysemous meanings, under one entry:

• It’s your turn to wash the dishes = a kind of plate.
• How long does it take to cook this dish? = a meal.

Wing (noun)

The term polysemy, or polysemous words, comes from the Greek words poly and sēma which together mean ‘many signs’. The opposite of polysemy is monosemy. Monosemy is when one word has only one meaning.

Polysemy is related to homonymy (one word that has multiple meanings but is pronounced and/or spelt the same). Additionally, because polysemous words have more than one meaning, they can cause lexical ambiguity. This can happen when someone hears/reads something without the same frame of reference or contextual information as the speaker/writer. For example, ‘Let’s go to the bank!’ isn’t clear. Does this mean ‘a river bank’ or ‘a financial institution’?

1. He has served his time in prison.
2. The free food is served to homeless people only.
3. This old bike has served me well.
4. The new mall will serve the community well.
5. My mom served in the medical corps.

All five sentences use the same verb serve. Although each sentence carries a different sense of serve, they all imply the same meaning of ‘giving service’:

1. He has served his time in prison → spend some time (in prison).
2. The free food is served for homeless people only → provide.
3. This old bike has served me well → be useful.
4. The new mall will serve the community well → provide.
5. My mom serves in the medical corps → work as.

Serve is then a very good example of polysemous words. Some other examples of polysemy include:

• Verb: get — receive, bring, move/travel.
• Noun: bank — of a river/canal, a place to deposit money, a slope.
• Adjective: light — colours, not heavy, not serious.

Polysemy examples in literature

How can we analyse polysemic examples in literature? Take a look at this excerpt from Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale (1623) (Act 5, Scene 3) below and analyze the polysemous meaning of the word gallery:

The word gallery has several different polysemous meanings:

1. A long corridor to exhibit works of art in Elizabethan and Jacobean houses.
2. (In a theatre) the highest of such projecting platforms, containing the cheapest seats.
3. A crypt or a catacomb.

• Refers to a word with multiple meanings.
• Are listed under a single dictionary entry.
• Must stem from the same word class, eg noun-noun: mouse (an animal — computer device), wings (parts of birds for flying — part of a building), beam (a line of light — a piece of wood).

Homonymic words

• Refers to words with different meanings but with the same pronunciation and/or spelling.
• Are listed under multiple dictionary entries.
• Can be verb-noun combination: to address — an address, to rock — a rock, to park — a park.

Polysemy vs. homonymy

What is the difference between polysemic words and homonymy? Take the word address.

First, analyse the multiple meanings and word class. Address has two meanings and two different word classes:

Second, if the words have multiple forms (multiple entries in a dictionary), eg a verb and noun, they are homonyms. If the two words stem from a single form (one entry in a dictionary), eg a verb or noun, they are polysemies. The word address has two word forms: a verb and a noun. This proves that address is a homonym.

To explain the difference between polysemous words and hyponymic expressions, let’s take the word mouse.

Polysemy describes one word with more than one meaning.

Because the word mouse has multiple meanings it can cause lexical ambiguity: «Do you mean the animal mouse or the computer device?» Hyponymy describes a super and subordinate relationship between words.

Through our examples of polysemy, we see that a house mouse and a field mouse aren’t the two different meanings of a mouse. Both types of the singular mouse refer to one thing, the animal.

From the perspective of hyponymy, the mouse that is the computer device isn’t a kind of the animal mouse. It is a mouse (the connotative meaning of mouse = polysemy).

Bring me the mouse!

¹ A. Sabatier, Shakespeare and Visual Culture, (2016).