Polysemy is the ability of one word or phrase to have multiple meanings. Today, we'll look at how to tell the difference in those meanings. Do you know what I mean😆?
Let's start with...
The word get has many different meanings. For example,
1/
Don't overeat. You'll get fat.
A: Was Stephen on time for the meeting?
B: No, he got there late as usual.
3/
A: Wow! Where did you get those shoes?
B: At the sportswear shop in the mall.
Below are the meanings of get for numbers 1 to 3.
- become
- arrive
- buy or acquire
Exercises
Read the dialogues/passages and choose the correct meaning for the word/phrases in bold.
A: Ow! Why did you step on my foot?!
B: I didn't mean to step on your foot. Sorry.
a) unfriendly
b) intend to
c) care
d) average
A: Coco is a very small, very mean dog.
a) average
b) unfriendly
c) friendly
d) tiny
A: Why do you put peanut butter on hot dogs?
a) to spread on food
b) to wear
c) to remove
d) to cook
A: My son and his friends put on a funny puppet show at school.
a) to wear
b) to show
c) to organize an event
d) to replace
Advice
The best way to learn the multiple meanings of words is to read. Use context to help you find out which meaning a word has in a particular sentence.
Recommended Textbook
The English Vocabulary In Use series by Cambridge University Press is a good series of textbooks (look here) that covers polysemy (and other topics).
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