At what age do most children begin to understand that words can have different meanings?

Most children begin to understand that words can have different meanings between the ages of 6 and 7 years. This period marks a critical stage in language development known as "lexical development," where children start to grasp concepts like homonyms, idioms, and the context-dependent nature of language.

At this age, children often engage in more advanced forms of conversation and story-telling, which allows them to encounter and use words in various contexts. This exposure aids their cognitive and linguistic skills, enabling them to comprehend that a single word can represent different ideas or objects depending on how it is used in sentences. For instance, they begin to understand that words like "bank" can refer to a financial institution or the side of a river, depending on context. This enhanced understanding signifies a deeper cognitive processing of language, language nuances, and the complexity of communication.

In contrast, younger children, typically by ages 4 or 5, are just beginning to expand their vocabulary but might not yet comprehend the varying meanings of words fully. Those aged 8 to 9, while still developing, have usually built upon the foundation laid in the earlier years and might be more focused on nuanced language skills that may involve irony, sarcasm, or metaphorical