Abstract: English is a language with rich vocabularies and plentiful word meanings. The phenomenon of polysemy occurs frequently in English. This paper discusses the development processes and classification of polysemous words from the diachronic and synchronic point of view. According to the opinions of experts, word meanings can be divided into primary meaning and derivative meaning, central signification and secondary meaning, and there are two processes in the development of word meanings: radiation and concatenation.

Key words: polysemy, primary meaning, derivative meaning, central signification, secondary meaning, radiation, concatenation

摘要：英语是一门词汇丰富、词义纷繁的语言，一词多义现象非常明显.本文从历时与共时的角度探讨多义词的发展途径和分类方式。整合专家学者们的观点,多义词的各个义项可分为原始意义与派生意义，中心意义与次要意义，而多义词的发展途径则可归纳为辐射法和成串法。

关键词：一词多义，原始意义与派生意义，中心意义与次要意义，辐射法，成串法