A ZSPD LOCAL CONTROLLER INSTRUCTED AN AIRCRAFT TO POSITION AND HOLD THREE TIMES WITH ANOTHER AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY. TWO TIMES THE AIRCRAFT HELD SHORT. AFTER THE THIRD INSTRUCTION; IT BECAME CLEAR THE CONTROLLER MEANT HOLD POSITION (SHORT OF THE RUNWAY).

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WE RECEIVED TAXI CLRNC FROM TWR TO POS AND HOLD RWY 35R. I WAS PNF WORKING THE RADIO AND READ BACK CLRNC TO POS AND HOLD RWY 35R. THERE WAS AN A320 DOING RUN-UPS IN POS. WE HELD SHORT FOR ABOUT 2 MINS AND I ASKED THE TWR AGAIN IF WE WERE TO POS AND HOLD; HE AGAIN INSTRUCTED US TO POS AND HOLD; I READ BACK CLRNC. ANOTHER MIN WENT BY AND THE A320 COMMENCED TKOF ROLL. THE RELIEF PLT THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO REVERIFY POS AND HOLD CLRNC. I ASKED TWR AGAIN AND HE SAID FOR US TO POS AND HOLD; I READ BACK CLRNC TO POS AND HOLD RWY 35R. WE TOOK THE RWY ONLY TO FIND A B737 WAS TAKING THE RWY AT A2. THE TWR ASKED US WHAT WERE WE DOING ON THE RWY. I TOLD HIM HE HAD GIVEN US 3 SEPARATE POS AND HOLD CLRNCS. HE TOLD US TO HOLD POS. I TOLD HIM WE WANTED TO POS THE ACFT WITH THE NOSE POINTED DOWN THE RWY IF THE B737 WAS GOING TO TAKE OFF; WE HAD NOT MADE THE 90 DEG TURN TO LINE UP ON THE RWY. HE INSTRUCTED THE B737 TO PULL FORWARD TO LET US TAXI TO A2 AND EXIT. I ASKED FOR A SUPVR AS THIS WAS ALL NON STANDARD. A NEW VOICE TOLD US TO EXIT A2 AND TAXI ALPHA; A1 HOLD SHORT RWY 35R. WE DID. THE B737 BACK TAXIED AND TOOK OFF. WE WERE GIVEN LINE UP AND WAIT BY THE NEW TWR VOICE. I READ BACK THAT CLRNC AND ONCE WE WERE GIVEN TKOF CLRNC WE GOT A 'NO LAND 3' EICAS STATUS MESSAGE. WE THEN EXITED RWY 35R AT A2 TO TALK TO DISPATCH AND MAINT. THE 'NO LAND 3' WAS DEFERRED AND WE TOOK OFF NORMALLY. I THINK THE 1ST TWR GUY WAS REALLY TRYING TO GET US TO HOLD SHORT ALL ALONG BUT WITH THE ACCENT BARRIER AND NON STANDARD TERMS; HE GOT CONFUSED.