Polysemic words in Spanish

If you have traveled to Spain or are taking Spanish classes, you will have noticed that the same word can be used in several contexts and its meaning changes. These are polysemous words and in Spanish there are many of them, some even have more than two meanings.

Find out all about polysemic words in Spanish in this article and improve your level with don Quijote Spanish school. You can read this same text in other languages: Spanish, French or Italian.

What are polysemic words?

Polysemic words in Spanish are words that have more than one meaning. That is, the same word can be used in different contexts to refer to different things but keeping the same form.

Polysemy is a common feature in many languages, including Spanish. However, it should not be confused with homonymy.

Homonyms are words that have the same form in Spanish, but different etymological origins. While polysemic words come from a common root and have developed different meanings over time.

Examples of Spanish polysemous words

Below is a list of the most common polysemous words in Spanish. Although there are thousands of polysemous words in Spanish as it is a phenomenon that depends on the social context and culture and is constantly developing.

Banco:

• Financial institution. Example: “Voy al banco a hacer una transferencia” (I'm going to the bank to make a transfer).
• Seat of urban furniture. E.g. “Quedamos en el banco del parque” (Let's meet at the park bench).
• Set of fish. E.g. “Vimos un banco de peces en el mar” (We saw a schoal of fish in the sea).

Batería:

• A musical instrument. E.g. “Toca la batería en una banda” (He plays drums in a band).
• Energy accumulator. E.g. “La batería de mi teléfono está descargada” (The battery in my phone is flat).
• Set of things lined up. g. “Se enfrenta a una batería de preguntas” (He faces a set of questions).

Bolsa:

• Sack for carrying things. E.g. “Usa una bolsa de tela para hacer la compra” (He uses a tote bag to do the shopping).
• Stock market. E.g. “Invertí en la bolsa de valores” (I invested in the stock market).

Bomba:

• Explosive device. E.g. “Desactivaron la bomba a tiempo” (They defused the bomb in time).
• Device for extracting liquids. E.g. “Necesitamos una bomba para extraer agua del pozo” (We need a pump to extract water from the well).
• Expression of surprise or amusement. E.g. “Me ha caído genial tu primo ¡es la bomba!” (I really like your cousin, he is amazing!).

Cabeza:

• Upper body part in Spanish. E.g. “Me duele la cabeza” (My head hurts).
• Person in charge. E.g. “Es la cabeza de la empresa ya que tiene todo bajo control” (She is the head of the company because she has everything under control).
• First place in a competition. “Está a la cabeza de la carrera” (He is at the head of the race).

Carta:

• A letter sent to someone. E.g. “Te mandé una carta por correo” (I sent you a letter in the post).
• Menu in a restaurant. E.g. “Voy a pedir algo de la carta” (I'm going to order something from the menu).
• Playing cards. E.g. “Me tocaron buenas cartas en la partida” (I got good cards in the game).

Caña:

• A long-stemmed plant. E.g. “La caña de azúcar es muy común en algunos países” (Sugar cane is very common in some countries).
• Fishing utensil. E.g. “Llevé la caña de pescar al lago” (I took the fishing rod to the lake).
• Small glass of beer in Spain. g. “Pidamos una caña de cerveza” (Let's order a caña de cerveza).

Capital:

• Money or resources. E.g. “Invertí todo mi capital en el negocio” (I invested all my capital in the business).
• Main city of a country. g. “Madrid es la capital de España” (Madrid is the capital of Spain).

Chuleta:

• A piece of meat. g. “Me comí una chuleta de cerdo” (I ate a pork chop).

• Hidden note to copy on an exam. E.g. “Llevé una chuleta para copiar en el examen” (I took a cheat sheet to copy on the exam).

Cola:

• The back part of an animal. E.g. “El perro mueve la cola” (The dog wags its tail).
• Line of people. E.g. “Hicimos cola para entrar al cine” (We queued up to get into the cinema).
• Glue. E.g. “Usé cola para pegar el papel” (I used glue to glue the paper).

Cometa:

• A flying toy. E.g. “Los niños volaban una cometa en el parque” (The children were flying a kite in the park).
• Celestial body. E.g. “El cometa Halley pasa cada 75 años” (Halley's comet passes by every 75 years).

Copa:

• A glass made of crystal. E.g. “Tomamos una copa de vino” (We had a glass of wine)
• Trophy in some sporting competitions. E.g. “Ganó la Copa del Mundo” (He won the World Cup).
• Top of a tree. Eg. “La copa del árbol da sombra” (The top of the tree gives shade).

Corona:

• Royal headdress placed on the head. g. “El rey llevaba una corona de oro” (The king wore a golden crown).
• Dental structure. E.g. “El dentista me puso una corona en el diente” (The dentist put a crown on my tooth).

Cura:

• Priest. E.g. “El cura ofició la misa” (The priest officiated at mass).
• Medical treatment. g. “Encontraron una cura para la enfermedad” (They found a cure for the disease).

Destino:

• Place to which you are going. g. “Nuestro destino es París” (Our destination is Paris).
• Future or fate. E.g. “El destino quiso que nos encontráramos” (Fate wanted us to meet).

Diente:

• Part of the mouth. E.g. “Me duele el diente de abajo” (My bottom tooth hurts).
• Each of the protrusions of an object. E.g. “La sierra tiene dientes afilados” (The saw has sharp teeth).

Flamenco:

• A pink bird. g. “El flamenco es un ave de patas largas” (Flamingo is a long-legged bird).
• Popular dance and music in Spain. g. “El flamenco es originario de Andalucía” (Flamenco originated in Andalusia).

Gato:

• Domestic animal. E.g. “Tengo un gato negro como mascota” (I have a black cat as a pet).
• Tool for lifting cars. E.g. “Usé el gato para cambiar la rueda” (I used the jack to change the wheel).

Gemelos:

• Siblings born at the same birth. E.g. “Mis primos son gemelos” (My cousins are twins).
• Accessory for shirt cuffs. E.g. “Llevaba los gemelos que me regaló mi abuelo” (I wore the cufflinks my grandfather gave me).

Hoja:

• Part of a plant. E.g. “El viento arrastraba las hojas del árbol” (The wind was blowing the leaves off the tree).
• Sheet of paper. E.g. “Escribí en una hoja en blanco” (I wrote on a blank sheet of paper).
• Blade. E.g. “La hoja del cuchillo está afilada” (The blade of the knife is sharp).

Lengua:

• Part of the mouth. E.g. “La lengua nos permite saborear los alimentos” (The tongue allows us to taste food).
• Language. E.g. “Estoy aprendiendo español como segunda lengua” (I am learning Spanish as a second language).

Listo:

• An intelligent person. E.g “Es muy listo para los negocios” (He is very smart in business).
• To be ready. E.g. “Ya estoy listo para salir” (I'm ready to go).

Mariposa:

• Insect. E.g. “Vimos una mariposa de colores en el jardín” (We saw a colorful butterfly in the garden).
• Swimming style. E.g. “Nadó estilo mariposa en la competición” (He swam butterfly style in the competition).

Mono:

• Animal. E.g. “En el zoológico vimos un mono” (At the zoo we saw a monkey).
• Garment. E.g. “Se puso un mono de trabajo” (She wore overalls).

Muñeca:

• A joint in the arm. E.g. “Me lastimé la muñeca jugando al tenis” (I hurt my wrist playing tennis).
• Human-shaped toy. E.g. “Compré una muñeca para su cumpleaños” (I bought a doll for her birthday).

Nuez:

• Dried fruit. E.g. “Me gusta comer nueces” (I like to eat nuts).
• Part of the body, specifically in the throat, also called Adam's apple. E.g. “Se le nota la nuez cuando traga” (You can feel the Adam's apple when he swallows).

Pendiente:

• An object of jewelry for the ears. g. “Lleva unos pendientes de oro” (He wears gold earrings).
• Slope of the terrain. E.g. “La pendiente de la montaña es pronunciada” (The slope of the mountain is steep).
• Task to be done. E.g “Tengo un trabajo pendiente” (I have a job to do).

Pilar:

• Supporting column. E.g. “El pilar sostiene el techo” (The pillar supports the roof).
• Foundation or base of something. g. “La educación es un pilar de la sociedad” (Education is a pillar of society).
• Feminine proper noun. E.g. “Mi prima Pilar tiene tres hijos” (My cousin Pilar has three children).

Piso:

• Floor surface. E.g. “El piso de la casa está limpio” (The floor of the house is clean).
• Floor of a building. E.g. “Vivo en el tercer piso” (I live on the third floor).
• Conjugation of the verb ‘pisar’. E.g. “Piso con fuerza cuando salgo a correr” (I step hard when I go for a run).

Planta:

• A living plant. E.g. “Regué la planta del salón” (I watered the plant in the living room).
• Floor of a building. E.g. “Mi oficina está en la planta baja” (My office is on the first floor).
• Industrial facility. g. “La planta de producción es enorme” (The production plant is huge).

Polo:

• Geographic extreme. E.g. “El polo norte es muy frío” (The North Pole is very cold).
• Type of shirt. E.g. “Llevaba un polo blanco” (He was wearing a white polo shirt).
• Sport. E.g. “Jugaban al polo en caballos” (They played polo on horses).

Regla:

• An instrument for measuring. E.g. “Dibuja la línea recta con la regla” (Draw the straight line with the ruler).
• Standard or guideline. g. “La regla de la empresa es puntualidad” (The company rule is punctuality).
• E.g. “Me vino la regla por primera vez con 15 años” (I got my period for the first time when I was 15 years old).

Sal:

• A substance for seasoning. E.g. “Añadí un poco de sal a la comida” (I added a little salt to the food).
• Movement when leaving a place. E.g. “Sal por la puerta de la derecha” (Go out the door on the right).

Temporal:

• Meteorological phenomenon or strong storm. E.g. “Hubo un temporal muy fuerte en la costa” (There was a very strong storm on the coast).
• Something that is not permanent. E.g. “Este trabajo es temporal” (This job is temporary).

Tierra:

• Planet where we live. E.g. “La Tierra es nuestro hogar” (Earth is our home).
• Land dedicated to cultivation. E.g. “Las plantas crecen en la tierra” (Plants grow in the earth).

Yema:

• Part of the egg. E.g. “La yema de huevo es amarilla” (The yolk of the egg is yellow).
• The soft part at the tip of the finger. g. “Me quemé la yema del dedo” (I burned my fingertip).

These are just some of the polysemous words in Spanish that can be useful for you to advance in the language. Although if you want to become a fluent speaker and sound like a native speaker, don Quijote's intensive Spanish courses will help you do just that. Start your adventure now!