645 meanings of run

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/30/136796448/has-run-run-amok-it-has-645-meanings-so-far

"The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary."

http://www.amazon.ca/Professor-Madman-Insanity-English-Dictionary/dp/006099486X

When they prepared the first edition of the OED, which took them 70 years to do, so they began this in 1857 and finished - the first edition was published in 1928 - the longest word then or the one with the most definitions was another three-letter word. It was the word set.

Well, during the 20th century, that word was displaced by another rather similar word, which was the word put. You put things on the table. You put things on a piece of paper. You put people down and so on. It became a much more complex word.

And after that, a four letter word, take, which we, I guess, we won't discuss today. But those first nine letters occupy, well, in the verb form alone, well over 1,000 meanings - 1,200 meanings, I think.

http://www.acme2k.co.uk/Acme/100.htm

Here are the top 100 words (from tv scripts) in alphabetical order:

a · about · all · and · are · as · at · back · be · because · been · but · can · can't · come · could · did · didn't · do · don't · for · from · get · go · going · good · got · had · have · he · her · here · he's · hey · him · his · how · I · if · I'll · I'm · in · is · it · it's · just · know · like · look · me · mean · my · no · not · now · of · oh · OK · okay · on · one · or · out · really · right · say · see · she · so · some · something · tell · that · that's · the · then · there · they · think · this · time · to · up · want · was · we · well · were · what · when · who · why · will · with · would · yeah · yes · you · your · you're

We see how regular rules for such words allow for rapid basic conversation.