How can one sentence describe two scenes?

One sentence can sometimes support more than one meaning because a phrase can belong with different parts of it. This kind of ambiguity comes from how the words are connected, even when each individual word is familiar.

In “Maya saw the hiker with a telescope,” the phrase with a telescope can describe the seeing action. On that reading, Maya uses the telescope to see the hiker. The illustration shows this reading by placing the telescope with Maya.

The same phrase can instead describe the hiker. On that reading, Maya sees a hiker who has a telescope. The words do not by themselves settle which of these two connections the writer intended. A drawing can make one connection visible without making the other reading impossible.

More explicit wording can remove this particular uncertainty. “Using a telescope, Maya saw the hiker” states the first reading; “Maya saw the hiker who had a telescope” states the second. Wider context may also clarify the meaning. The important distinction is between a possible reading and evidence of the writer’s intended reading.