This study investigates how the brain represents polysemy, the phenomenon where a single word has multiple related meanings. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), the researchers examined whether different senses of the same word are stored as distinct lexical entries or share a common representation. The study found that polysemy effects are distinct from similarity effects, with related senses showing faster response times (priming) in the left hemisphere, while unrelated targets showed inhibition. This suggests that related senses connect to the same abstract lexical representation but are listed within that representation. The results support the hypothesis that polysemy involves both representational identity and difference, indicating that related senses share a morphological root but can also compete with each other. The study also highlights the importance of understanding the interplay between the left and right hemispheres in the neurobiology of the mental lexicon.This study investigates how the brain represents polysemy, the phenomenon where a single word has multiple related meanings. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), the researchers examined whether different senses of the same word are stored as distinct lexical entries or share a common representation. The study found that polysemy effects are distinct from similarity effects, with related senses showing faster response times (priming) in the left hemisphere, while unrelated targets showed inhibition. This suggests that related senses connect to the same abstract lexical representation but are listed within that representation. The results support the hypothesis that polysemy involves both representational identity and difference, indicating that related senses share a morphological root but can also compete with each other. The study also highlights the importance of understanding the interplay between the left and right hemispheres in the neurobiology of the mental lexicon.