Regarding 男朋友 and 男性朋友(or 男的朋友), I don't understand how to use these words appropriately. At least I understand that 男朋友 can mean both "boyfriend" and "male friend" and the meaning depends on the context, and 男性朋友 means "male friend".
However, what I don’t get about these words is:
男朋友 means both "boyfriend" and "male friend". Can 男性朋友 also mean "boyfriend" as well as "male friend"?
Are 男性朋友 and 男的朋友 synonyms?
If you have multiple "boyfriends" or "male friends", how would you express this?
If a man uses "男朋友", does this mean he is gay? Or does this always mean "male friend"? (and would there some other word to express "boyfriend in a gay relationship"?
Are all of the above the same in the case of 女朋友/女性朋友?