This is the 8561st most frequent Chinese word.
tea
A beverage made by infusing dried tea leaves in water.
In this sentence, '茶' refers to the beverage made from steeping processed tea leaves in hot water.
我喜欢喝茶，每天下午都会泡一杯绿茶。
I like drinking tea; every afternoon, I brew a cup of green tea.
'茶' here refers to the plant or processed leaves used to make the tea beverage.
中国是茶叶的故乡，种类非常丰富。
China is the homeland of tea leaves; the varieties are incredibly diverse.
Here, '茶' is a metonym, representing the social activity or meal termed 'afternoon tea'.