This is not an easy question to answer, but it is one that is crucial to understanding culture and human experience. We encounter the world as a meaningful place. We also create meaning.
1. Translation or synonyms: What does "philosophy" mean? "The love of wisdom." We're talking about definitions here.
Kinds of Definitions: Extensional (names the members of a set); Intensional (picks out some essential characteristic of the term); Stipulative (defining something by decision, rather than by identifying characteristics or set membership).
2. Implication. "What does Christmas mean to you?" could mean "What does the season imply? What things are associated with it?"
3. Fitting into a belief structure. One common answer to the question of what Christmas means to a person, is that it is the birth of Jesus, who came to save the world. In fact, people talk of this as the "true meaning of Christmas". This brings up a question: Do all the other people, who don't have any religious connotations to Christmas, not have the true meaning? Or do they just have another meaning, equally possible? Does the history of the holiday completely determine the meaning? If that is the case, then saying that Halloween is a fun night for parties and kids dressing up collecting candy, is to miss the point - It was one of two holy nights of the year (the other being May 1) in pagan beliefs and among witches.
4. Intention or Purpose: "He means well" = "He has good intentions". "John means to go to school".
5. Has Importance: "Her look was full of meaning." = "Her look was significant, it intended to communicate something"