本文运用原型范畴理论，分析英语多义词各义项之间的认知规律。一个多义词的各个义项构成它的词义范畴，它们围绕原型意义而按典型等级向外辐射延伸。辨识原型意义的方法有经验法、词源法和追溯法；多义词的词义扩展方式包括链锁式、辐射式、链锁与辐射相结合的方式。辨识多义词的原型意义和分析词义扩展方式有助于英语多义词的教学和学习。
This study explores the cognitive rules between meanings of English polysemous words based on the Prototype Theory. The meanings of a polysemous word form its lexical category and they can be rated on a typicality scale ranging from the prototype to the periphery. The prototype meaning of a polysemous word can be determined by the first mental reaction of learners' to the word，the origin of the word or the shared part of most meanings of the word. The meanings are related to each other through concatenation，radiation or the combination of concatenation and radiation. It would be conductive to the teaching and learning of English polysemous words by figuring out the prototype meaning and the networking pattern of all meanings in a lexical category.
