1. the existence of multiple meanings for a single word or phrase
Usage: linguistics

Examples

• The word ‘bank’ demonstrates polysemy with meanings like financial institution and river’s edge.
• Polysemy is common in natural languages and creates challenges for translation.
• Students of linguistics study polysemy to understand how words acquire multiple related meanings.
• The polysemy of ‘run’ includes meanings like to jog, to operate, and to flow.
• Dictionary makers must account for polysemy when defining words with multiple senses.
• Polysemy differs from homonymy because the multiple meanings are typically related.