The noun work has 7 senses (first 7 from tagged texts)
1. (435) work -- (activity directed toward making or doing something; "she checked several points needing further work")
2. (359) work, piece of work -- (a product produced or accomplished through the effort or activity or agency of a person or thing; "it is not regarded as one of his more memorable works"; "the symphony was hailed as an ingenious work"; "he was indebted to the pioneering work of John Dewey"; "the work of an active imagination"; "erosion is the work of wind or water over time")
3. (96) employment, work -- (the occupation for which you are paid; "he is looking for employment"; "a lot of people are out of work")
4. (44) study, work -- (applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject (especially by reading); "mastering a second language requires a lot of work"; "no schools offer graduate study in interior design")
5. (41) oeuvre, work, body of work -- (the total output of a writer or artist (or a substantial part of it); "he studied the entire Wagnerian oeuvre"; "Picasso's work can be divided into periods")
6. (18) workplace, work -- (a place where work is done; "he arrived at work early today")
7. (14) work -- ((physics) a manifestation of energy; the transfer of energy from one physical system to another expressed as the product of a force and the distance through which it moves a body in the direction of that force; "work equals force times distance")
Overview of verb work
The verb work has 27 senses (first 13 from tagged texts)
1. (77) work -- (exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor")
2. (62) work, do work -- (be employed; "Is your husband working again?"; "My wife never worked"; "Do you want to work after the age of 60?"; "She never did any work because she inherited a lot of money"; "She works as a waitress to put herself through college")
3. (32) work, act -- (have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected; "The voting process doesn't work as well as people thought"; "How does your idea work in practice?"; "This method doesn't work"; "The breaks of my new car act quickly"; "The medicine works only if you take it with a lot of water")
4. (20) function, work, operate, go, run -- (perform as expected when applied; "The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in"; "Does this old car still run well?"; "This old radio doesn't work anymore")
5. (9) work, work on, process -- (shape, form, or improve a material; "work stone into tools"; "process iron"; "work the metal")
6. (9) exercise, work, work out -- (give a workout to; "Some parents exercise their infants"; "My personal trainer works me hard"; "work one's muscles")
7. (5) make, work -- (proceed along a path; "work one's way through the crowd"; "make one's way into the forest")
8. (4) work -- (operate in a certain place, area, or specialty; "She works the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"; "This artist works mostly in acrylics")
9. (3) work -- (proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity; "work your way through every problem or task"; "She was working on her second martini when the guests arrived"; "Start from the bottom and work towards the top")
10. (3) work -- (move in an agitated manner; "His fingers worked with tension")
11. (3) bring, work, play, wreak, make for -- (cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; "I cannot work a miracle"; "wreak havoc"; "bring comments"; "play a joke"; "The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area")
12. (2) work, put to work -- (cause to work; "he is working his servants hard")
13. (2) cultivate, crop, work -- (prepare for crops; "Work the soil"; "cultivate the land")
14. work -- (behave in a certain way when handled; "This dough does not work easily"; "The soft metal works well")
15. influence, act upon, work -- (have and exert influence or effect; "The artist's work influenced the young painter"; "She worked on her friends to support the political candidate")
16. work -- (operate in or through; "Work the phones")
17. work -- (cause to operate or function; "This pilot works the controls"; "Can you work an electric drill?")
18. work -- (provoke or excite; "The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy")
19. work -- (gratify and charm, usually in order to influence; "the political candidate worked the crowds")
20. shape, form, work, mold, mould, forge -- (make something, usually for a specific function; "She molded the rice balls carefully"; "Form cylinders from the dough"; "shape a figure"; "Work the metal into a sword")
21. work -- (move into or onto; "work the raisins into the dough"; "the student worked a few jokes into his presentation"; "work the body onto the flatbed truck")
22. knead, work -- (make uniform; "knead dough"; "work the clay until it is soft")
23. exploit, work -- (use or manipulate to one's advantage; "He exploit the new taxation system"; "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy")
24. solve, work out, figure out, puzzle out, lick, work -- (find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of; "did you solve the problem?"; "Work out your problems with the boss"; "this unpleasant situation isn't going to work itself out"; "did you get it?"; "Did you get my meaning?"; "He could not work the math problem")
25. ferment, work -- (cause to undergo fermentation; "We ferment the grapes for a very long time to achieve high alcohol content"; "The vintner worked the wine in big oak vats")
26. sour, turn, ferment, work -- (go sour or spoil; "The milk has soured"; "The wine worked"; "The cream has turned--we have to throw it out")
27. work -- (arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion; "The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times")