Problem: Sentence1: That guy keeps interrupting the concert. Throw the bum out!
Sentence2: Fred is becoming a bum -- he's not even bothering to work more than once a month.
Q: Does the term bum mean the same thing in both these sentences?

Answer: the same meaning

Problem: Sentence1: Pull the cooked chicken into strips.
Sentence2: A declining dollar pulled down the export figures for the last quarter.
Q: Does the term pull mean the same thing in both these sentences?

Answer: different meanings

Problem: Sentence1: The battalion was a mere skeleton of its former self.
Sentence2: There must be a skeleton somewhere in that family's closet.
Q: Does the term skeleton mean the same thing in both these sentences?

Answer: different meanings

Problem: Sentence1: The horse will run the Preakness next year.
Sentence2: I'm not ready to run a marathon.
Q: Does the term run mean the same thing in both these sentences?

Answer:
the same meaning