(1) the division sign (÷)
(2) There are deep divisions in the party over the war.
(3) the work of healing the divisions within society

(1) The company is unable to absorb such huge losses.
(2) Plants absorb oxygen.
(3) The cream is easily absorbed into the skin.

(1) nervous energy (= energy produced by feeling nervous)
(2) She put all her energies into her work.
(3) creative/destructive energies

(1) sour apples
(2) a sour flavour
(3) to turn/go sour

(1) His poems were published under the title of ‘Love and Reason ’.
(2) the title track from their latest CD (= the song with the same title as the disc)
(3) She has sung the title role in ‘Carmen ’ (= the role of Carmen in that opera ) .

(1) A welcoming fire was burning in the fireplace.
(2) Fires were burning all over the city.
(3) By nightfall the whole city was burning.

(1) The rooms were awful and the food was worse.
(2) The weather got worse during the day.
(3) The interview was much worse than he had expected.

(1) She resented his persistent approaches.
(2) All the approaches to the palace were guarded by troops.
(3) The club has made an approach to a local company for sponsorship.

(1) a singing contest
(2) a talent contest
(3) to enter/win/lose a contest

(1) fishing with rod and line
(2) There used to be a saying: ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child. ’
(3) ...a 15-foot thick roof that was reinforced with steel rods.

(1) stony soil
(2) They listened to him in stony silence.
(3) The steep, stony ground is well drained.

(1) her missionary/reforming/religious/political zeal
(2) ...his zeal for teaching...
(3) Mr Lopez approached his task with a religious zeal.

(1) Before long, we were deep in conversation.
(2) Peter gave him a long deep look.
(3) Cal took a long, deep breath, struggling to control his own emotions...

(1) Speech is the fastest method of communication between people.
(2) All channels of communication need to be kept open.
(3) Doctors do not always have good communication skills .

(1) Try not to eat between meals.
(2) Lunch is his main meal of the day.
(3) (especially British English) to go out for a meal (= to go to a restaurant to have a meal)

(1) to be worthy of attention
(2) A number of the report's findings are worthy of note .
(3) No composer was considered worthy of the name until he had written an opera.

(1) There is nothing we can do except dig in and wait.
(2) Help yourselves, everybody! dig in!
(3) They dug in their heels and would not lower the price.

(1) The old age of an eagle is Better than the youth of a sparrow.
(2) The sparrow whizzed up into a tree.
(3) Jack sparrow : And that was without a single drop of rum!

(1) Officials arrived to assess whether it is safe to bring emergency food supplies into the city...
(2) Most foods that we eat are safe for birds.
(3) In the future people can go to a football match knowing that they are safe from hooliganism...

(1) It's going to be the death knell of the red deer.
(2) Crops can be all too easily decimated by unchecked depredations by deer.
(3) deer hunting was banned in Scotland in 1959.

(1) a clever child
(2) clever girl!
(3) How clever of you to work it out!

(1) He rescued a child from drowning.
(2) They were eventually rescued by helicopter.
(3) The house was rescued from demolition.

(1) We have lived in the same house for twenty years.
(2) Our children go to the same school as theirs.
(3) She's still the same fun-loving person that I knew at college.

(1) synthetic drugs/fabrics
(2) cotton fabrics and synthetics
(3) Boots made from synthetic materials can usually be washed in a machine.

(1) the diameter of a tree trunk
(2) The dome is 42.3 metres in diameter .
(3) a lens magnifying 300 diameters (= making sth look 300 times larger than it really is)

(1) The loft can be accessed by a ladder.
(2) The police gained access through a broken window.
(3) Students must have access to good resources.

(1) a loaf of bread
(2) Two white loaves, please.
(3) a sliced loaf

(1) More females than males are employed in the factory.
(2) Two of the candidates must be female.
(3) a female cat

(1) a tin mine
(2) a tin box
(3) a tin of beans

(1) These pets require a lot of care and attention.
(2) This condition requires urgent treatment.
(3) Do you require anything else? (= in a shop/store, for example)

(1) She took me into her confidence and told me about the problems she was facing.
(2) He is said to be very much in the President's confidence.
(3) I could never forgive Mike for betraying a confidence.

(1) a chocolate cake
(2) a birthday cake
(3) (British English)a cake tin (= for cooking a cake in)

(1) He scanned the horizon for any sign of land.
(2) She scanned his face anxiously.
(3) I scanned the list quickly for my name.

(1) a fox with its leg in a trap
(2) A trap was laid, with fresh bait.
(3) She had set a trap for him and he had walked straight into it.

(1) ...the former military ruler of Lesotho...
(2) He was a weak-willed and indecisive ruler.
(3) I draw a line with a ruler.

(1) They set forth at dawn.
(2) Huge chimneys belched forth smoke and grime.
(3) Water gushed forth from a hole in the rock.

(1) Most of the houses are built of stone.
(2) stone walls
(3) a stone floor

(1) to go/stay indoors
(2) Many herbs can be grown indoors.
(3) Since she was indoors, she had not been wearing a coat...

(1) the Lord Mayor's parade
(2) St Patrick's Day parade in New York
(3) (figurative)The latest software will be on parade at the exhibition.

(1) She was educated in the US.
(2) He was educated at his local comprehensive school and then at Oxford.
(3) Children need to be educated on the dangers of drug-taking.