Same Word but Different Meanings in English

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.

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noun–a place to keep your money. I don’t have much money in the bank.
noun–the sides of a river. My grandfather likes to sit on the banks of the river and fish.
verb–slang–to be sure of something. I know it will rain today. You can bank on it.

2. bark

verb– to make the loud sound a dog makes. The dog next door barks all the time.
noun–the rough outer covering of a tree. That maple tree has a very thick bark.

3. bill

noun–the notice your receive when you must pay something. I need to pay my water bill.
noun–the mouth of a bird, also called a beak. A toucan has a very large bill.

4. break

verb–to shatter something. Be careful. Don’t break that dish.
verb–to tell somebody some news. I hate to break this to you, but you did not get the job.
noun–a rest. You may take a 10 minute break.

5. bug

noun–an insect. There was an ugly bug crawling up my leg.
verb–to bother someone–slang. Please don’t bug me. I need to get this done.
verb–to put a secret microphone in a room or in a phone line. I need to be careful of what I say. I think my phone is bugged.
noun–a problem with a computer program. This new software has too many bugs!

6. charge

verb–to apply a purchase to your credit card. I’d like to charge these shoes, please.
verb–to attack, as an animal. The mountain lion charged the hiker.

7. company

noun–a business. My cousin went to work for a new company.
noun–guests. I want to make something special. We’re having company for dinner.
noun- being with people in friendship. I enjoy the company of my neighbors.

8. current

noun–electricity. The current in the United States is different than in Europe.
noun–the movement of the ocean tides. The current in the ocean can cause you to drown.
adjective–about what is going on in the news. I try to keep up on current events.

9. date

noun-the numbered day on a calendar. What is the date today, the 25th or the 26th?
noun–an even with your boyfriend or girlfriend. I’m so excited. Raul asked me out for a date!
noun–a fruit form a palm tree, often from the Middle East. In Saudi Arabia they eat dates as they drink coffee.

10. fair

adjective–equal and just. Bob and I have the same job, but he gets paid more than I do. That isn’t fair!
noun–an exposition. My son bought 3 books from the book fair at his school.
adjective–describing pleasant weather. The weather forecast said it will be fair and sunny tomorrow.
adjective–not good, not bad. He did a fair job on his math test.

11. fast

12. fly

noun–an insect that flies and buzzes. That fly is so annoying!
verb–to sail through the air. A plane and a bird can fly.
verb–to rush off quickly–slang. I’m late. I’ve got to fly. See you tomorrow!

13. hit

verb–to strike someone or something. Don’t hit your brother. He’s only a baby
noun–a very successful song, movie, play, or book. The movie Titanic was a huge hit all over the world
noun–a site on the internet. When I googled, “Cats, ” I got many hits

14. jam