(1) a ball made of rubber
(2) a rubber tree
(3) [常用于名词前]a rubber ball

(1) His role has always been ambiguous.
(2) an ambiguously worded agreement
(3) an ambiguous word/term/statement

(1) I'd just like to make a comment...
(2) I made a few phone calls...
(3) Apparently he made a mess of his audition...

(1) flowers that bloom in spring/in the spring
(2) He was born in the spring of 1944.
(3) There's a feeling of spring in the air today.

(1) I want to be a goldfish.
(2) The pond contains a mixture of goldfish and carp.
(3) The Chinese kept and studied carp and goldfish more than one thousand years ago.

(1) The hills were shrouded in mist .
(2) Early morning mist patches will soon clear.
(3) The origins of the story are lost in the mists of time (= forgotten because it happened such a long time ago) .

(1) Switch to an interest-paying current account and stay in credit. Most banks and larger building societies now offer these accounts...
(2) A steering committee has been formed. these people can make decisions in ten minutes which would usually take us months.
(3) Your camcorder should have these basic features: autofocus, playback facility, zoom lens...

(1) Did you have a good trip?
(2) We went on a trip to the mountains.
(3) a day trip (= lasting a day)

(1) The South african mailboat arrived on Friday mornings unless bad weather intervened.
(2) The South african president has negotiated an end to white-minority rule.
(3) The South african years were his most creative period.

(1) The colleges grouped together to offer a wider range of courses.
(2) We all grouped around the tree for a photograph.
(3) The children grouped themselves around their teacher.

(1) a noble leader
(2) noble ideals
(3) He died for a noble cause.

(1) newly independent republics
(2) the republic of Ireland
(3) In 1918, Austria became a republic.

(1) I always associate the smell of baking with my childhood.
(2) He is closely associated in the public mind with horror movies.
(3) I don't like you associating with those people.

(1) an iron gate
(2) He pushed open the garden gate.
(3) A crowd gathered at the factory gates.

(1) a large circle of friends
(2) Seagulls circled around above his head.
(3) The plane circled the airport to burn up excess fuel.

(1) the concept of social class
(2) concepts such as ‘civilization ’ and ‘government ’
(3) He can't grasp the basic concepts of mathematics.

(1) Speed is restricted to 30 mph in towns.
(2) We restrict the number of students per class to 10.
(3) Fog severely restricted visibility.

(1) apple sauce
(2) a garden with three apple trees
(3) They really are apples and oranges.

(1) She was chatting away, nineteen to the dozen.
(2) They have nineteen days to make up their minds.
(3) It's nineteen hour Beijing time.

(1) an eye exam
(2) (North Amercian English)She did well on her exams .
(3) (British English)She did well in her exams .

(1) Certain courses are compulsory, others are optional.
(2) This model comes with a number of optional extras (= things you can choose to have but which you will have to pay extra for) .
(3) A holiday isn't an optional extra. In this stressful, frantic world it's a must...

(1) ‘Is this your car? ’ ‘yes, it is. ’
(2) ‘Are you coming? yes or no? ’
(3) ‘I enjoyed her latest novel. ’ ‘yes, me too. ’

(1) In some countries children don't start learning to read and write until they are six.
(2) Please write in pen on both sides of the paper.
(3) I haven't got anything to write with.

(1) the rumble of distant thunder
(2) a clap/crash/roll of thunder
(3) thunder crashed in the sky.

(1) Jenny is seventeen years old.
(2) There are seventeen items on my shopping list.
(3) Texas , who died when my father was seventeen.

(1) a corrupt regime
(2) corrupt officials accepting bribes
(3) corrupt practices

(1) His singing can't hold a candle to Pavarotti's.
(2) The bedroom was lit by a single candle.
(3) Girls today can't hold a candle to the beauties of the Fifties.

(1) The furniture comes complete with tools and instructions for assembly.
(2) We were in complete agreement.
(3) a complete change

(1) She usually sings in the shower.
(2) I just can't sing in tune!
(3) He was singing softly to the baby.

(1) The company is moving to new offices on the other side of town.
(2) Are you going to the office today?
(3) an office job

(1) She refuses to acknowledge the need for reform.
(2) a generally acknowledged fact
(3) I did not acknowledge that he had done anything wrong.

(1) The area was covered in dense jungle.
(2) the jungles of South-East Asia
(3) jungle warfare

(1) There will be a chance for parents to look around the school.
(2) Jeff deceived me once already─I won't give him a second chance .
(3) This is your big chance (= opportunity for success) .

(1) a sharp knife
(2) sharp teeth
(3) a sharp drop in prices

(1) There is mounting tension along the border.
(2) international/racial/political tensions
(3) There is often a tension between the aims of the company and the wishes of the employees.

(1) We're open till 6 o'clock.
(2) Can't you wait till we get home?
(3) Just wait till you see it. It's great.

(1) Can I have a receipt, please?
(2) to make out (= write) a receipt
(3) to acknowledge receipt of a letter

(1) a fierce dog
(2) Two fierce eyes glared at them.
(3) He suddenly looked fierce.

(1) That may or may not be true.
(2) We may have some rain today...
(3) Rates may rise, but it won't be by much and it won't be for long...

(1) I couldn't stop coughing.
(2) to cough nervously/politely/discreetly
(3) Sometimes she coughed (up) blood.