can
The canner can can more cans in an hour than any other canner can.
The sentence describes a skilled food-preserver who can preserve more cans of food per hour than any other can-preserver can.
Meanings (pronounced /kæn/)
to be able to do something; to have the capacity or skill
- She can speak four languages fluently.
- Anyone can learn the basics in a weekend.
to preserve food by sealing it in airtight containers
- My grandmother used to can tomatoes every August.
- We canned dozens of jars of pickles last summer.
a metal or aluminum container, typically cylindrical, used for holding food or liquid
- Open a can of beans for dinner.
- The recycling bin was full of crushed cans.
Word origin
Three uses of 'can' from two roots: the modal verb ('be able to') and the regular verb ('to preserve in a sealed container') both come from Old English cunnan ('to know how to, be able to'), which through specialization became a modal. The noun ('container') is from Old English canne, of Germanic origin, originally meaning a small drinking vessel.
Fun fact
The famous 'How much wood would a woodchuck chuck' tongue twister has a 'can'-based cousin: the canner sentence above is a classic of recursive English wordplay, exploiting that 'can' carries both ability and the literal action of canning.