Table 2.
Sense Dominance and Sense Similarity Ratings for the Polysemous Words in Neutral Contexts
| Word | Percent dominant | Dominant sense gloss | Percent subordinate | Subordinate sense gloss | Sense Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coat | 91 | outer garment | 1 | layer or covering | 2.81 |
| Orange | 89 | citrus fruit | 1 | a bright reddish-yellow hue | 2.94 |
| Book | 89 | informational content of a printed volume | 3 | physical object consisting of printed pages and a binding | 6.56 |
| Sign | 86 | publicly displayed board with information | 0 | symbol used in algebra, music, etc. | 3.00 |
| Drinkers | 83 | consumers of alcoholic beverages | 0 | consumers of liquid | 5.19 |
| Oak | 83 | woody, tall plant | 4 | wood used for building | 6.20 |
| Drive | 81 | journey in an automobile | 0 | charitable effort | 2.15 |
| Boxes | 81 | containers with flat sides | 1 | separate compartments for groups of people | 3.69 |
| Corn | 76 | type of food | 14 | type of crop | 6.19 |
| Atmosphere | 74 | envelope of gases surrounding a planet | 10 | feeling of a situation | 3.56 |
| Trunk | 70 | a case with a hinged lid | 0 | main stem of a tree | 1.38 |
| Production | 68 | a film, play, or record | 12 | process of being manufactured | 3.81 |
| Tin | 66 | a small, lidded receptacle | 8 | silvery, malleable substance | 3.38 |
| Cold | 66 | low degree of heat in the air | 16 | illness causing runny nose and cough | 2.13 |
| Letters | 64 | written or printed communication | 8 | character in the alphabet | 2.63 |
| Paper | 58 | thin sheets used for writing, printing, or wrapping | 17 | newspaper | 4.38 |
| School | 42 | an educational institution | 40 | a building that houses an educational institution | 6.00 |
| Filling | 52 | center of pastry or other food | 29 | material that occupies a cavity in a tooth | 3.94 |
| Cotton | 51 | type of thread or cloth | 31 | plant containing a soft white substance | 5.63 |
| Glasses | 52 | spectacles | 14 | drinking vessels | 2.94 |
| Chicken | 53 | type of food | 40 | domestic fowl | 6.31 |
| Shower | 51 | bathing under a spray of water | 36 | the apparatus used to bathe | 5.88 |
| Fortune | 48 | chance | 33 | riches | 2.88 |
| Classes | 42 | school courses | 7 | divisions of society | 2.00 |
| Sheets | 27 | pieces of paper for writing | 19 | large pieces of cloth used for bedding | 1.88 |
Note. Sense similarity ratings were on a scale from 1(completely different) and 7 (almost identical).