马蹄 has three distinct meanings that English splits into separate words: (1) a horse's hoof (the literal foot); (2) a horseshoe (the metal shoe nailed to the hoof); and (3) water chestnut (the edible corm, common in Cantonese cuisine, where 马蹄 is the colloquial term). The first two meanings are closely related; the third is a regional vegetable name unrelated to horses. Context—whether the word appears in equestrian, blacksmith, or cooking settings—disambiguates which sense is intended.