"apothecary". One could say, "I bought herbs from the apothecary". This could mean one actually spoke to the apothecary (pharmacist) or went to the apothecary (pharmacy).

The context in which an ambiguous word is used often makes it clearer which of the meanings is intended. If, for instance, someone says, "I put $100 in the bank", most people would not think someone used a shovel to dig in the mud. However, some linguistic contexts