polysemous

adjective

po·​ly·​se·​mous ˌpä-lē-ˈsē-məs  pə-ˈli-sə-məs 

variants or polysemic

ˌpä-lē-ˈsē-mik 

: having multiple meanings

polysemy

pə-ˈli-sə-mē 

ˈpä-lē-ˌsē-mē

noun

Examples of polysemous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Like many words in the Hawaiian language, its meaning is polysemous. — Tiare-Leiana Solis-Ridgell, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026

The wheel is now an omnipresent and polysemous symbol of not only New Age interpretations of Native religions but also pan-Indian ideology. — Sierra Crane Murdoch, Harper's Magazine, 3 May 2023

Run takes up half again as much space as its nearest polysemous competitor, put, which itself is far more polysemous than the third word in this list, set. — Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 June 2022

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin polysemus, from Greek polysēmos, from poly- + sēma sign

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above