What is polysemy?

A word can sometimes mean more than one thing, that’s what polysemy is!

Imagine you have a toy box full of blocks. One block is special because it can be used in different ways: you can stack it on top of others to make a tower, or you can push it across the floor like a car. That one block has multiple meanings, just like a polysemous word.

Take the word “run.” It can mean moving quickly, like when you run to catch your favorite cartoon, that’s one meaning. But it can also mean something else: if you say, “I’m going to run for class president,” that means you’re trying to be chosen as leader, that’s a different meaning.

So just like the block in your toy box, the word “run” has more than one job or purpose. That’s polysemy!

Sometimes, people use the same word but mean totally different things, and that's okay! It’s like having a friend who can be both a superhero and a baker, cool, right? A word can sometimes mean more than one thing, that’s what polysemy is!

Imagine you have a toy box full of blocks. One block is special because it can be used in different ways: you can stack it on top of others to make a tower, or you can push it across the floor like a car. That one block has multiple meanings, just like a polysemous word.