Polysemy

Words often have multiple meanings, which are sometimes closely related but often distantly or only tangentially related. This is known as polysemy. 

Even though some meanings are closely related, they still might be confusing. 

If a word appears more frequently in a language, it is more likely to have multiple meanings – including words that most three-year-olds know and use.

Many words have many closely related meanings. When such words are used in academic discourse or in writing, they often carry a meaning that is not the usual one students learn first.

Consider sentences like the following:

“His problems continued to dog him.”

“She ran the experiment when the conditions were right.”

“The CFO found a way to eat the expenses.”

These meanings might puzzle students who know only the first, most frequent meaning of "dog," "ran," and "eat".

Examining words across content areas emphasizes their polysemous nature and encourages students to develop a multifaceted understanding of each. Many words have different meanings depending on topic or content area. (Nagy & Scott, 2000)

For example:

or

Teaching and explaining the multiple meanings of individual words is an important part of vocabulary instruction. 

Providing access to these meanings and direct instruction about when these various meanings apply will help students develop deeper consciousness about and understanding of words. It will also help them understand and access the texts they encounter in school. 

Idioms too.

For example, before reading a book about LeBron James, younger students and English language learners might need a ‘heads-up’ about what a ‘slam dunk’ is. Even basketball aficionados might need help to explore its extended meaning: a clear and unqualified success.

Other frequent idioms that have extended and more opaque uses include:

• break a leg
• bite the bullet
• under the weather
• raining cats and dogs
• beat around the bush

Not all idioms will require explicit instruction, but teachers should be alert to their potential to confuse students when they occur in assigned texts.