investment-n; 3 Senses

Sense Number 1: things purchased which are considered to have lasting value

Commentary: INVESTMENT[+artifact][+purchased][+with_value][+lasting]
NOTE: refers to the thing bought, not the activity of spending money
NOTE: X's investment BE Y

Examples:
A used car is rarely a good investment.
A couple of beautiful well-made pieces are a sound investment for any woman's wardrobe.
His obscure art collection has become a lucrative investment after all these years.

Mappings:
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 2, 4

Sense Number 2: the act of devoting time and energy to something

Commentary: INVESTMENT[+event][+commitment][+of_effort][+for_objective]

Examples:
Providing our children with solid education is a meaningful investment in their future.
Mary's investment of time and energy on behalf of the town's conservation areas is admirable.
John quit the club because it became too much of investment of his leisure time.
The city is planning a major investment in the repair and improvement of infrastructure.

Mappings:
PropBank: NM
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1

Sense Number 3: the activity of investing money for profit

Commentary: INVESTMENT[+event][+commitment][+of_money][+for_profit] [+quantity][+money][+committed]
NOTE: X's investment of Y for Z -> X invested Y to buy Z

Examples:
He has made a lot of money through his investments in overseas hedge funds.
Investment in the high tech sector right now could be risky with the state of the economy.
They lost a $50,000 investment in that real estate deal.

Mappings:
PropBank: investment.01
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 2, 4