English Vocabulary for ESL learners
MULTIPLE-MEANING WORDS
English words that have two or more different meanings.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Bark |
1) Noise made by a dog 2) Outer cover of tree |
- Some dogs bark a lot. - Cork comes from the bark of a tree. |
| Cell | 1) Part of an organism 2) A room in a prison 3) Unit of a political body 4) Area of radio coverage |
- The body is composed of millions of cells. - The prisoners were kept in separate cells. - There are terrorist cells all over the world. - Call me on my cell phone. |
| Plain | 1) Simple; unadorned 2) Clear; obvious 3) Area of flat land |
- Carla looked elegant in a plain black dress. - His disapproval was plain to see. - Wild horses galloped over the plains. |
| Pupil | 1) Student 2) Part of the eye |
- Hugo was the only pupil to arrive late. - The pupil is the centre of the iris of the eye. |
| Refuse | 1) Not accept 2) Unwanted waste material |
- She refused all offers of help. - Garden refuse goes into this bin. |
| Ring | 1) Piece of jewellery 2) Circle 3) Sound/chime |
- The couple exchanged wedding rings. - The children sat in a ring around the teacher. - The church bells ring for the morning service. |
| Row | 1) Dispute 2) Arranged line 3) Make a boat move |
- Eva had a row with her boyfriend. - We managed to get seats in the front row. - You need oars to row a boat. |
| Sole | 1) Bottom of shoe/foot 2) Only/single |
- She saw a hole in the sole of one of his shoes. - The child was the sole survivor of the crash. |
| Tear | 1) Liquid from the eye 2) A split in something 3) Move quickly |
- I didn’t shed a tear although I was in pain. - There was a tear in her skirt. - Tom started to tear after the pickpocket. |
| Tip | 1) Piece of advice 2) Small sum of money 3) Extreme end/top 4) Dump |
- I found great tips in this cookery book. - The service was good so we left a tip. - He showed the word with the tip of his pencil. - The workmen took all the rubbish to the tip. |
| Toast | 1) Grilled bread 2) Drink to celebrate something |
- I usually have tea and toast for breakfast. - Paul raised his glass to toast the bridal couple. |
| Vain | 1) Excessive pride 2) Unsuccessful; futile |
- Eva is vain; she has a high opinion of herself. - I told a joke in a vain attempt to cheer him up. |
Please note that British English spelling is used on this website.