polysemy
nounUK /pəˈlɪsəmi/
US /ˈpɑːlɪsiːmi/
When one word has more than one meaning.
The word "bank" is a good example of polysemy because it can mean a place for money or the side of a river.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The quality of having several different senses or interpretations.
Linguists study polysemy to understand how words change over time.
3. In language learning, the ability of a single word to express different ideas depending on context.
Polysemy helps students guess new meanings of familiar words.
4. A feature of natural languages where one form maps to many concepts.
Polysemy is common in English, as seen with the word "run".