Homonym
Homonyms are two words that can have the exact spelling or pronunciation but very different meanings. Some good homonyms examples include ‘bear,’ which is both the name of an animal and a word meaning ‘tolerating something. Again, understanding context is the key to knowing which words are used.
To understand which word is said, you have to understand context clues rather than just relying on the pronunciation or spelling of the word itself. So, for example, if someone is talking about cricket or baseball and says ‘bat,’ they’re talking about the object, not the animal!
What’s the difference between homonyms, homographs, and homophones?
By now, we’ve answered the question, ‘what is a homonym?’. But before we go on to look at some homonym examples, we need to know that homonyms can be separated into two groups: homographs and homophones. So let’s examine the difference between these two similar-sounding terms, so we’re less likely to get them mixed up.
Homographs
While homonyms can have different spellings, homographs are words with the exact spelling but not the same pronunciation. The term ‘graph’ in homograph means written, which means these kinds of words are written similarly. For example, the homographs ‘bow’, ‘tear,’ ‘record,’ and ‘bark’ all have at least two different meanings. However, the words are all still spelled the same, regardless of the meaning and how you pronounce them.
Homophones
Homophones are words that sound the same or share the name pronunciation, regardless of their spelling. For example, the word ‘phone’ in homophone means sound. Examples of homophones include the words ‘write’ and ‘right,’ ‘knight’ and ‘night,’ and ‘see’ and ‘sea.’
Even though they’re spelled differently, you tell them in the same way when you say them out loud. Children often mix up homophones because they usually use sounds to determine the spelling of words, but that’s not possible with these words. So when writing down, it would help if you used the context surrounding the word to determine its correct spelling.
Both a homograph and a homophone
There are also homonyms, which are both homographs and homophones. These words are both spelled the same and have the same pronunciation. The only difference between these words is their meaning, and the only way we can understand which one is meant is by reading the rest of the text or listening more to gain some context clues.
What are some homonyms examples?
The English language contains several homonyms. Here’s a helpful list containing some of the most common homonym words. You’ll also be able to see whether these homonym examples are homographs, homophones, or both!
Homonyms examples
| Homonym | Homograph or Homophone | Meanings |
| current | both | A flow of water / Up to date |
| kind | both | A type of something / Caring |
| ring | both | To call someone on the phone / A band on a finger |
| right | both | Correct / Opposite of left |
| rose | both | To have got up / A type of flower |
| spring | both | A season / Coiled metal |
| bright | both | Smart or intelligent / Filled with light |
| match | both | A game of sports / Small wooden stick used for lighting fires |
| well | both | It went positively / A structure made to access water underground |
| fly | both | An insect / To hover and move above the ground |
| pray/prey | homophone | To worship / An animal hunted by a predator |
| hi/high | homophone | A greeting / At a great height |
| idle/idol | homophone | Lazy / Someone you admire |
| know/no | homophone | To have knowledge / Opposite of yes |
| lessen/lesson | homophone | To reduce / A period of learning |
| waste/waist | homophone | Use excessively / Part of the human body |
| stare/stair | homophone | To look at something / Structure designed to go up a level |
| meet/meat | homophone | Greet someone for the first time / Flesh from an animal |
| weak/week | homophone | Not strong / The duration of Monday – Sunday |
| pair/pear | homophone | Two of something / A type of fruit |
| bow | homograph | A polite gesture of bending the waist (b-ow) / A hair accessory (boh) |
| close | homograph | To make shut (klohz) / To be nearby (klohs) |
| wind | homograph | Movement of air (wind) / To wrap around something (wine d) |
| wound | homograph | An injury (woo und) / Past tense of ‘wind’ (wownd) |
| bass | homograph | A species of fish (bas) / A type of guitar (base) |
| dove | homograph | A white bird (duv) / Past tense of ‘dive’ (dohve) |
| record | homograph | A piece of evidence about the past (rec ord) / To film something with a camera (re cord) |
| tear | homograph | A rip in something (tare) / Droplets that fall when you cry (teer) |
| does | homograph | Female deer (dohs) / To do something (duhz) |
| sow | homograph | Female pig (sow) / To plant a seed (sohw) |
List of words that sound the same
Now that we’ve seen a few homonyms examples, here are just a couple of other words in English that sound the same:
- bare and bear
Bare (adjective): If something is described as bare, it is essential or uncovered.
Bear (noun): A large mammal.
- cell and sell
Cell (noun): A cell is a small room usually found in prison. Another meaning of cell is the smallest unit that can live on its own and that makes up all living organisms and the body’s tissues.
To sell (verb): ‘To sell’ is a verb meaning to exchange either a product or service for money.
- dew, do, and due
Dew (noun): The tiny water droplets that gather on plants and other objects outside at night.
To do (verb): To do is a verb to indicate an action.
Due (adjective): This word is often used when discussing deadlines or when something is scheduled to happen.
