Which term means a word having several related meanings?

• A. Polysemy
• B. Phatic communication
• C. Preposition
• D. Prescriptive grammar

Answer: (A)

In linguistics, a word that has several related meanings is described as polysemy. This means a single lexical item carries multiple senses that are connected in meaning, often through metaphor or extension from a core idea. For example, the word bright can describe light that shines and, by metaphor, a person who is intelligent; these senses share a common thread of clarity or shininess. That connected family of meanings is what polysemy captures.

The other terms describe different ideas: phatic communication refers to speech used to perform social functions rather than convey new information; a preposition is a function word that expresses relationships like location or direction; prescriptive grammar is about rules for how language should be used. None of these describe a word with multiple related senses, so polysemy is the correct term.