ply vs run

ply

verb
  • To bend, to flex; to be bent by something, to give way or yield (to a force, etc.). 

  • To work at (something) diligently. 

  • To press upon; to urge persistently. 

  • To persist in offering something to, especially for the purpose of inducement or persuasion. 

  • To travel over (a route) regularly. 

  • To wield or use (a tool, a weapon, etc.) steadily or vigorously. 

noun
  • In two-player sequential games, a "half-turn" or a move made by one of the players. 

  • A layer of material. 

  • A bent; a direction. 

  • A strand that, twisted together with other strands, makes up rope or yarn. 

  • A condition, a state. 

run

verb
  • To tend, as to an effect or consequence; to incline. 

  • To carry (a football) down the field, as opposed to passing or kicking. 

  • Of an object, to have a liquid flowing from it. 

  • To print or broadcast in the media. 

  • To pursue in thought; to carry in contemplation. 

  • To put at hazard; to venture; to risk. 

  • To be a candidate in an election. 

  • To fuse; to shape; to mould; to cast. 

  • To control or manage, be in charge of. 

  • To smuggle (illegal goods). 

  • To go at a fast pace; to move quickly. 

  • To extend in space or through a range (often with a measure phrase). 

  • To execute or carry out a plan, procedure, or program. 

  • To make run in a race. 

  • To transit a length of a river, as in whitewater rafting. 

  • To control or have precedence in a card game. 

  • To move forward quickly upon two feet by alternately making a short jump off either foot. (Compare walk.) 

  • To leak or spread in an undesirable fashion; to bleed (especially used of dye or paint). 

  • To sail before the wind, in distinction from reaching or sailing close-hauled. 

  • To exert continuous activity; to proceed. 

  • To sew (a seam) by passing the needle through material in a continuous line, generally taking a series of stitches on the needle at the same time. 

  • To become different in a way mentioned (usually to become worse). 

  • To cause to move quickly or lightly. 

  • To cause to enter; to thrust. 

  • To speedrun. 

  • To be in form thus, as a combination of words. 

  • To juggle a pattern continuously, as opposed to starting and stopping quickly. 

  • To move or spread quickly. 

  • To sort through a large volume of produce in quality control. 

  • To extend in time, to last, to continue (usually with a measure phrase). 

  • To make a machine operate. 

  • To become liquid; to melt. 

  • To make something extend in space. 

  • Of a machine, including computer programs, to be operating or working normally. 

  • To achieve or perform by running or as if by running. 

  • To pass (without stopping), typically a stop signal, stop sign, or duty to yield the right of way. 

  • To transport someone or something, notionally at a brisk pace. 

  • To be presented in the media. 

  • Of a means of transportation: to travel (a route). 

  • To cost a large amount of money. 

  • Of stitches or stitched clothing, to unravel. 

  • To encounter or suffer (a particular, usually bad, fate or misfortune). 

  • Of a liquid, to flow. 

  • To compete in a race. 

  • Of fish, to migrate for spawning. 

  • To make run in an election. 

  • To drive or force; to cause, or permit, to be driven. 

  • To have growth or development. 

  • To have a legal course; to be attached; to continue in force, effect, or operation; to follow; to go in company. 

  • To cause to be drawn; to mark out; to indicate; to determine. 

  • To flee from a danger or towards help. 

  • To pass or go quickly in thought or conversation. 

  • To encounter or incur (a danger or risk). 

  • To tease with sarcasms and ridicule. 

  • To make a liquid flow; to make liquid flow from or into an object. 

  • To strike (the ball) in such a way as to cause it to run along the ground, as when approaching a hole. 

How often have the words ply and run occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )