Example of homonyms word

The term «homonyms» in its broad meaning includes homonyms, homophones, and homographs. In more specific sense, homonyms are words with the same pronunciation and spelling but different in meaning. Homophones have the same pronunciation but are different in meaning and spelling. Homographs are identical in spelling but differ in meaning and pronunciation. Homophones present the most difficulty for learners of English.

The list below is mostly for intermediate and advanced learners. It includes common homonyms and less frequently used homonyms, with examples illustrating their use. A shorter list of homonyms for beginners is provided in Homonyms Short List in the section Writing.

Note: In many cases, homonyms are words of different origin (i.e., derived from different words). Depending on the definition this or that dictionary provides for the word «homonym» (and definitions of «homonym» may differ), some words in the list below, for example, «chord, cord; discreet, discrete; plain, plane; toast, toast; train, train; trunk, trunk», may or may not be considered homonyms as they were derived from one and the same word. For example, «plain» and «plane» were derived from Latin «planus» meaning «flat, level»; «trunk» was derived from Latin «truncus» meaning «truncated, lopped».

Термин «homonyms» в широком смысле включает в себя омонимы, омофоны и омографы. В более определённом смысле, омонимы – это слова с одинаковым произношением и написанием, но разные по значению. Омофоны имеют одинаковое произношение, но различаются в значении и написании. Омографы пишутся одинаково, но имеют разное значение и произношение. Омофоны представляют наибольшую трудность для изучающих английский язык.

Список ниже в основном для изучающих среднего и продвинутого уровня. Он включает в себя распространённые омонимы и менее употребительные омонимы, с примерами, иллюстрирующими их употребление. Более краткий список омонимов для начинающих дан в материале «Homonyms Short List» в разделе Writing.

Примечание: Во многих случаях, омонимы – это слова разного происхождения (т.е. образованные от разных слов). В зависимости от определения, которое тот или иной словарь даёт для слова «homonym» (а определения слова «homonym» могут отличаться), некоторые слова в списке ниже, например, «chord, cord; discreet, discrete; plain, plane; toast, toast; train, train; trunk, trunk», могут или не могут считаться омонимами, т.к. они были образованы от одного и того же слова. Например, «plain» и «plane» были образованы от латинского «planus» (плоский, ровный); «trunk» был образован от латинского «truncus» (усечённый, отрубленный).

The same pronunciation, different meaning

(Одинаковое произношение, разное значение)

AIR – HEIR (воздух, проветрить – наследник): fresh air; to air the room; the heir to the throne;

AISLE – ISLE (проход – остров): an aisle seat; to sit on the aisle; the British Isles;

ALTAR – ALTER (алтарь – изменить): to lead to the altar; to alter course; to alter a coat;

AURAL – ORAL (слуховой – устный, ротовой): aural perception; aural surgeon; oral examination; oral cavity;

BAIL – BALE (залог, освобождать под залог – кипа, тюк, связка): he was out on bail; he was bailed out for 1000 dollars; a bale of cotton; a bale of hay;

BALL – BALL (шар, мяч – бал): a ball of fire; to play ball; a ball gown; to open a ball;

BAND – BAND (отряд, группа – тесьма, завязка): a rock band; a rubber band;

BANK – BANK (насыпь, берег – банк): the bank of the river; the Bank of England; a bank account;

BARE – BEAR – BEAR (голый – нести ношу, родить – медведь): with bare hands; I can’t bear it; bear in mind; the polar bear;

BARK – BARK – BARK, BARQUE (лай, лаять – кора – парусное судно): the dog barked at me; the bark of a tree; a bark is a sailing ship;

BASE – BASE (основа, основание, база, базовый, основывать на – низкий, подлый): the base of a mountain; the story is based on real facts; base ingratitude; base conduct;

BAT – BAT – BAT (летучая мышь – бита – моргнуть): blind as a bat; a baseball bat; not to bat an eyelid;

BAY – BAY – BAY – BAY – BAY (бухта, залив – ниша, отсек – положение загнанного зверя – лавр – гнедой): Hudson Bay; bay window; an animal at bay; bay leaf; several bay horses;

BE – BEE (быть – пчела): to be or not to be; to be as busy as a bee; a bee in one’s bonnet;

BEAT – BEET (бить – свекла): to beat the drums; beets and carrots;

BERRY – BURY (ягода – хоронить): strawberry jam; to bury the dead; to bury the hatchet;

BERTH – BIRTH (койка – рождение): a single-berth compartment; birth certificate; to give birth to; she is French by birth;

BILL – BILL (счёт, банкнот – клюв): to pay the bill; a ten-dollar bill; a bill is the beak of a bird;

BIT – BIT – BIT (кусочек, немного – удила (часть уздечки), режущий край инструмента, бур, сверло – бит): a bit of butter; wait a bit; this drill has removable bits; the computer term «bit» is a contraction of «binary digit»;

BITE – BYTE (кусать, укус – байт): to bite one’s tongue; his dog bites; a deep bite; insect bites; one kilobyte is 1024 bytes;

BLOCK – BLOC (колода, квартал, преграда, блокировать – блок, объединение): a wooden block; walk two blocks; they blocked the exit; a military bloc;

BORE – BORE – BOAR (бурить – наскучить – кабан): to bore a hole; I’m bored; a wild boar;

BOUGH [bau] – BOW [bau] – BOW [bau] (сук, ветка – поклон, наклонить – корма судна): the boughs of a tree; to take a bow; to bow one’s head; the ship’s bow;

BOW [bou] – BEAU [bou] (лук для стрельбы, дуга, смычок, галстук-бабочка – кавалер): a bow and arrows; a rainbow; the bow of a violin; a bow tie; he is her new beau;

BRAKE – BREAK (тормоз, тормозить – перерыв, сломать, разбить): car brakes; let’s take a break; don’t break it;

BUY – BY – BYE (покупать – около, у – Пока!): to buy a car; to sit by the window; Bye-bye!

CACHE – CASH (тайник, запас – наличные деньги): cache memory; to pay cash; I have no cash;

CAN – CAN (мод. гл.: мочь, быть в состоянии – консервная банка, консервировать): I can do it; a can of beer; canned olives;

CANNON – CANON (пушка – правило, закон): water cannon; cannon ball; the canons of taste;

CANVAS – CANVASS (холст, брезент – предвыборная агитация): a painter’s canvas; to canvass a district;

CAPE – CAPE (накидка, плащ – мыс): he was wearing a dark gray cape; the Cape of Good Hope;

CARAT – CARROT (карат – морковь): a two-carat diamond; grated carrots;

CASE – CASE (случай, обстоятельство, положение дел, судебное дело, пример, довод – ящик, коробка, контейнер, футляр, чехол): in case of fire; a criminal case; two cases of wine; a jewel case;

CAST – CASTE (бросать, бросок – каста): to cast a glance; the cast of actors; high caste;

CELL – SELL (отсек, камера, ячейка, клетка – продавать): a prison cell; my cell phone; red blood cells; to buy and sell; to sell books;

CENSOR – SENSOR (цензор – датчик, чувств. элемент): to censor a document; acoustic sensor;

CENT – SCENT (цент – запах): 100 cents in a dollar; a faint scent of roses;

CEREAL – SERIAL (крупа – серийное издание): to eat breakfast cereal; to watch TV serials;

CHASE – CHASE (преследовать, погоня – паз, оправа, гравировать): to chase butterflies; to chase a thief; a wild-goose chase; metal chasing;

CHORD – CHORD – CORD (струна, хорда – аккорд – верёвка, шнур): to strike a deep chord; dissonant chords; electric cord; vocal cords;

CHUTE – SHOOT (скат, жёлоб – стрелять, делать съёмки): down the chute; to shoot a gun; to shoot a film;

CLIP – CLIP (подрезать – зажим, скрепка): to clip the hedge; a paper clip;

COARSE – COURSE (грубый – курс): coarse fabric; a course of lectures;

COLON – COLON (двоеточие – ободочная кишка): put a colon before a long list; colon cancer;

COLONEL – KERNEL (полковник – ядро, суть): lieutenant colonel; almond kernels; the kernel of the question;

COMPLEMENT – COMPLIMENT (комплемент, дополнение – комплимент): verb complement; give a compliment;

COUNCIL – COUNSEL (совет, собрание – совет, адвокат, дать совет): city council; legal counsel;

CREAK – CREEK (скрип, скрипеть – ручей): the floor creaks; a narrow creek;

CUE – CUE – QUEUE (намёк, подсказка – кий – очередь): give a cue; billiard cue; stand in a queue;

CURRANT – CURRENT (смородина – текущий, течение): red currant; current month; ocean current;

DAM – DAMN (плотина – проклятие): to build a dam; damn it; I don’t give a damn;

DEAR – DEER (дорогой – олень): Dear Sir; dear friend; a young deer; several deer;

DESERT [di’zərt] – DESSERT [di’zərt] (покидать – десерт): to desert the village; apple pie for dessert;

DEW – DUE (роса – должный): morning dew; When is the train due? with due respect;

DIE – DYE (умереть – краситель, окрашивать): He died two years ago. She dyed her hair red.

DISCREET – DISCRETE (осмотрительный – разрозненный): discreet silence; discrete parts;

DOE – DOUGH (самка оленя – тесто): a young doe; to roll the dough;

DUAL – DUEL (двойной – дуэль): dual citizenship; dual ownership; to fight a duel; verbal duel;

EARN – URN (зарабатывать – урна): to earn money; to earn a living; to earn respect; cremation urn;

EVE – EAVE, EAVES (канун – карниз, свес крыши): Christmas Eve; on the eve of their wedding; under the eaves;

FAIR – FAIR – FARE (справедливый – ярмарка – плата за проезд): that’s fair; book fair; bus fare;

FAST – FAST (быстрый, прочный – пост, поститься, ничего не есть): he drives too fast; hard-and-fast rules; to observe the fast;

FAUN – FAWN – FAWN (фавн – оленёнок (до одного года), жёлто-коричневый – подлизываться): in mythology, a faun is half man and half goat; fawn color is light yellowish brown; he is fawning on them;

FINE – FINE (прекрасный – штраф): one fine day; fine wine; to pay a fine for speeding;

FIR – FUR (ель – мех): pines and fir trees; a fir cone; a fur coat; natural fur;

FIT – FIT (годиться, подходить по размеру, подходящий – припадок, приступ): this dress fits you perfectly; it is a perfect fit; the food was fit for a king; a fit of coughing; a fit of anger;

FLAIR – FLARE (способность, чутьё – вспыхивать, вспышка): a flair for fashionable clothes; to flare up; a flare of anger;

FLEA – FLEE (блоха – спасаться бегством): a flea market; to flee the country;

FLAT – FLAT (плоский, плоская поверхность – квартира): flat roof; the flat of the hand; a block of flats;

FLOUR – FLOWER (мука – цветок): two cups of flour; a bunch of flowers;

FOREWORD – FORWARD (предисловие – вперёд): a foreword in a book; to move forward;

FORT – FORTE (форт – сильная сторона): a military fort; good spelling is her forte;

FOUL – FOWL (отвратительный, грязный – птица, дичь): foul smell; foul words; domestic fowl;

GAIT – GATE (походка – ворота): heavy gait; slow gait; to open the gate;

GILD – GUILD, GILD (золотить – гильдия): to gild the pill; gilded youth; the guild of merchants;

GILT – GUILT (позолота, позолоченный – вина): to cover with gilt; we have no proof of his guilt;

GRATE – GRATE – GREAT (решётка – скрести, тереть – большой, великий, замечательный): metal grate; to grate cheese; a great opportunity;

GRAVE – GRAVE (могила – серьёзный, тяжёлый, важный, мрачный): to dig a grave; grave situation; grave illness; his face was grave;

GROUND – GROUND (земля – молотый): to fall to the ground; freshly ground coffee;

HAIR – HARE (волосы – заяц): she has dark hair and green eyes; he ran like a hare;

HALL – HAUL (коридор, зал – тянуть, тащить): down the hall; a concert hall; to haul the boat;

HANGAR – HANGER (ангар – вешалка): a plane hangar; a coat hanger;

HAY – HEY (сено – эй): to make hay; hay fever; Hey!

HEAL – HEEL (излечивать – пятка, каблук): to heal the wounds; high heels;

HEAR – HERE (слышать – здесь): Did you hear what he said? She doesn’t live here.

HI – HIGH (привет – высокий): Hi, how are you? high walls; high speed; high temperature;

HOARSE – HORSE (хриплый – лошадь): a hoarse voice; to ride a horse;

HOLE – WHOLE (дыра – целый): a small hole in my sock; as a whole; the whole world;

I – EYE (я – глаз): I can see it clearly. My left eye itches.

IDLE – IDOL (неработающий, праздный – идол): idle machinery; idle talk; a teenage idol;

ILLICIT – ELICIT (незаконный – извлечь): illicit access; illicit trade; to elicit the truth; to elicit a reply;

JAM – JAM – JAMB (затор, сдавливать – джем – косяк, стойка): a traffic jam; to jam one’s finger in the door; strawberry jam; a door jamb;

KIND – KIND (сорт, вид – добрый): several kinds of apples; What kind of job are you looking for? it is very kind of you;

KNAP – NAP (дробить – лёгкий сон, дремать): to knap a stone; to take a nap;

KNEAD – NEED (месить, массировать – нужда, нуждаться в): to knead the dough; there is no need to worry; he needs rest;

KNIGHT – NIGHT (рыцарь – ночь): the Knights of the Round Table; a dark night; days and nights;

KNIT – NIT (вязать – гнида, яйцо блохи): to knit a sweater; a knitted cap; nit-picking;

KNOT – NOT (узел – не, нет): a tight knot; not a word; he is not a doctor;

KNOW – NO (знать – не, нет): Do you know him? No, I don’t. I have no time.

LAP – LAP – LAP (место от талии до колен в сидячем положении – один круг, оборот, один этап дистанции – лакать, лакание, плеск): the baby sat in his mother’s lap; a computer on his lap; he does six laps a day in the swimming pool; the dog lapped up the water; the sound of the waves lapping at the shore;

LEAK – LEEK (утечка, давать течь, протекать – лук-порей): a leak in the ship; the roof leaks; wild leek;

LESSEN – LESSON (уменьшить – урок): to lessen pain; to give a lesson; to learn a lesson;

LICHEN – LIKEN (лишайник – уподоблять): lichens are plants; he likens her to a rose;

LIE – LIE – LYE (ложь, лгать – лежать – щёлок): to tell a lie; don’t lie to me; to lie on the floor; a lye solution;

LIGHT – LIGHT – LIGHT (свет, светлый – лёгкий – натолкнуться, опускаться на): bright light; light blue; as light as a feather; light rain; a bird lighted on a branch;

LIME – LIME – LIME (известь – лайм – липа): burnt lime; lime juice; lime tree;

LOAN – LONE (ссуда, дать взаймы – одинокий): a bank loan; she loaned him some money; a lone house; a lone traveler; a lone wolf;

LOOP – LOUPE (петля – лупа): to make a loop; a loophole; a loupe is a magnifying glass;

MAIL – MAIL – MALE (почта, отправить почтой – кольчуга, броня – мужского пола, мужчина): Is there any mail for me? to send by mail; a coat of mail; a male child; a male dog;

MAIN – MANE (главный – грива): the main reason; a horse’s mane;

MAIZE – MAZE (маис, кукуруза – лабиринт): maize oil; a maze of streets; a maze is a labyrinth;

MALL – MAUL (пешеходная аллея – кувалда, калечить): shopping mall; to be badly mauled;

MANTEL – MANTLE (каминная полка – накидка, мантия): mantelpiece; mantelshelf; a silk mantle; the mantle of darkness;

MARSHAL – MARTIAL (маршал, выстроить – военный): air marshal; to marshal facts; martial law;

MATCH – MATCH (спичка – ровня, пара, подходить под пару, состязание, матч): to strike a match; a perfect match of colors; these two things don’t match; a football match;

MEAN – MEAN – MEAN (значить – плохой, скудный, низкий, подлый – средний, средняя величина): What do you mean? a mean trick; it was mean of him; mean time; mean speed;

MEAT – MEET (мясо – встретить): meat and potatoes; to meet a girl; to meet with friends;

MEDAL – MEDDLE (медаль – вмешиваться): a gold medal; to meddle in someone’s affairs;

METAL – METTLE (металл – характер): a metal door; to show one’s mettle; full of mettle;

MIGHT – MIGHT – MITE – MITE (мощь – мод. гл.: быть возможным – клещ – чуточка, капелька): with all his might; it might be true; the itch mite; a mite of consolation;

MISS – MISS (промахнуться, промах, пропускать, скучать по – мисс): he fired twice and missed; a near miss; she missed her bus; he misses his family; Miss Smith; Miss, can you help me?

MOLE – MOLE (родинка – крот): a black mole on the chin; as blind as a mole;

MOOR – MOOR (заболоченная местность – пришвартовать): moorlands have bad soil; to moor a ship;

MOOSE – MOUSSE (лось – мусс): to hunt moose; chocolate mousse;

MORNING – MOURNING (утро – скорбь, траур): on Monday morning; from morning till night; to be in deep mourning;

MUSCLE – MUSSEL (мускул – мидия): strong muscles; a man of muscle; mussels are mollusks;

NAVAL – NAVEL (военно-морской – пупок): naval academy; naval officer; navel infection;

NONE – NUN (ни один – монахиня): none of them; I have none; nuns and monks; she is a nun;

OAR – OR – ORE (весло – или – руда): a four-oar boat; one or two; iron ore;

PAIL – PALE (ведро – бледный): a pail of water; his face is pale; pale gray;

PAIN – PANE (боль – оконное стекло): dull pain; a pain in the chest; to take pains; window pane;

PAIR – PARE – PEAR (пара – очищать от кожуры – груша): a pair of gloves; to pare an apple; apples and pears;

PAT – PAT (шлепок, хлопок, похлопать, погладить – подходящий, уместный): a pat on the back; to pat a dog; a pat answer;

PEA – slang: PEE (горох – моча, мочиться): green peas; pea soup; to take a pee;

PEACE – PIECE (мир, покой – кусок): peace and quiet; a piece of bread; a piece of paper;

PEAK – PEEK – PIQUE (пик – заглянуть, взглянуть – уязвить, возбудить): a mountain peak; to peek into the hole; his curiosity was piqued;

PEAL – PEEL (звон колоколов, звонить в колокола – кожица, корка, чистить фрукты, овощи): to peal the bells; apple peel; to peel potatoes;

PEDAL – PEDDLE (педаль – торговать вразнос, мелочами): the gas pedal; to peddle goods from door to door;

PEER – PEER – PIER (сверстник, ровня – вглядываться – причал, пирс): peer group; to be judged by one’s peers; she peered into the dark room; the boat is at the pier;

PINE – PINE (сосна – чахнуть, тосковать): pines grow in many regions of the world; a pine forest; to pine with grief; she is pining for home;

PIT – PIT (яма – косточка фрукта, вынимать косточки): to dig a pit; air pit; orchestra pit; the pit of the stomach; a cherry pit (BrE: a cherry stone); to pit cherries (peaches, plums); to remove the pits;

PITCH – PITCH (бросок, высота/уровень/степень, бросать, сооружать – смола): a high-pitched voice; a high pitch of anxiety; to pitch a baseball; to pitch a tent; as black as pitch;

PLACE – PLAICE (место – камбала европейская): it is a good place for a picnic; plaice is European flatfish;

PLAIN – PLANE (ясный, очевидный, простой, равнина – плоскость, плоский): plain answer; plain food; the Great Plains; horizontal plane; plane geometry;

PLANE – PLANE – PLANE (самолёт – рубанок – платан): to go by plane; an airplane; a plane is a tool for smoothing wooden surfaces; a plane tree, or plane, is a large tree with broad leaves;

PLUM – PLUMB (слива – отвес): plums and peaches; to pick the plums; plumb line; plumb bob;

POLE – POLE – POLL (столб, шест – полюс – список избирателей, подсчет голосов, опрос): a telegraph pole; the North Pole; public opinion poll; exit poll;

PORE – PORE – POUR (обдумывать, изучать – пора (в коже) – лить): to pore over a problem; pores in the skin; to pour water into a glass;

POUND – POUND (фунт – колотить): a pound of cheese; to change dollars for pounds; to pound on the door;

PRAY – PREY (молиться – жертва, добыча): to pray to God; easy prey; birds of prey;

PRINCIPAL – PRINCIPLE (главный, начальник – принцип): principal cause; the school principal; a man of principle; on principle;

PROFIT – PROPHET (выгода, прибыль – пророк): profit and loss; he sold his house at a profit; the word «prophet» meant «speaker» in Greek;

PRUNE – PRUNE (чернослив – обрезать ветви, убирать лишнее): prunes are dried plums; to prune trees; to prune costs;

PRY – PRY (любопытствовать, совать нос – с силой / с трудом сдвинуть, открыть, вырвать): to pry into other people’s affairs; to pry the door open;

RACE – RACE (раса – скачки, гонка): the human race; horse racing; a race horse; race cars;

RACK – RACK – WRACK (вешалка, подставка, полка – пытка, пытать, мучить – разрушение, гибель): dish rack; luggage rack; to rack one’s brains; to go to wrack and ruin (also: to go to rack and ruin);

RAIN – REIGN – REIN (дождь – царствование – вожжа): it looks like rain; during his reign; a pair of reins;

RAP – WRAP (лёгкий удар, слегка/быстро ударять, стучать – шаль, шарф, обёртывать, завернуть): he rapped at the door; she wrapped the package in brown paper;

READ – REED (читать – тростник): to read a book; reed grows near water;

REEK – WREAK (вонь, вонять – излить на): to reek of alcohol; to wreak havoc on the enemy;

REST – REST – WREST (отдых, отдыхать – остаток, остальное – вырвать силой): rest a little; leave the rest of them here; to wrest a knife from someone’s hands;

RETCH – WRETCH (вызывать рвоту – жалкий человек, негодяй): it made her retch; a poor wretch;

REVIEW – REVUE (обзор, рецензия, рассматривать – ревю): to write a review; theatrical revue;

RIGHT – RITE – WRITE (правильный, правый, право – обряд – писать): that’s right; my right hand; civil rights; funeral rites; write a letter;

RING – RING – WRING (кольцо – звонить – скручивать): a wedding ring; to ring a bell; to wring one’s hands;

ROCK – ROCK (скала, камень – качать, качаться, качание): as firm as a rock; to rock the cradle; to rock the boat;

ROLE – ROLL (роль – рулон, катить): to play a role; a roll of toilet paper; the ball rolled away;

ROOT – ROUTE (корень – маршрут): the roots of the tree; Route 10; bus route;

ROW [rou] – ROW [rou] – ROE [rou] – ROE [rou] (ряд – грести – косуля – икра рыб): to sit in the first row; to stand in a row; to row the boat; a roe deer is also called a roe; the roe of sturgeon is called caviar;

RYE – WRY (рожь – кривой): rye bread; rye whiskey; a wry smile; a wry look;

SAIL – SALE (парус, плыть – распродажа): to sail on a ship; I bought it on sale;

SAW – SAW (пила, пилить – старинная пословица, изречение): to saw a log; an old saw;

SEA – SEE (море – видеть): the Black Sea; I want to see the sea. Have you ever seen the sea at sunrise? Did you see it?

SEAL – SEAL (печать, ставить печать, запечатывать – тюлень): the seal of fate; to seal an envelope; seals are sea mammals;

SEAM – SEEM (шов – казаться): Please take it in at the seams. She seems to be a little nervous.

SERF – SURF (крепостной, раб – прибой, плыть на гребне волны, заниматься серфингом): liberation of the serfs; the sound of the surf; to ride a surfboard; surfing;

SEW – SO – SOW (шить – так – сеять): to sew a dress; be so kind; to sow the seeds;

SHEAR – SHEER – SHEER (срезать, ножницы – прозрачный, абсолютный – отклониться от курса): to shear sheep; a pair of shears; sheer stockings; sheer nonsense; the ship was able to sheer off to avoid the collision;

SIGHT – SITE – CITE (вид, зрение – место – цитировать): a beautiful sight; to see the sights; good eyesight; construction site; website; to cite from a book;

SLAY – SLEIGH (сразить, умертвить – сани): slain by a bullet; a horse-drawn sleigh; sleigh bells;

SLEIGHT – SLIGHT – SLIGHT (ловкость – небольшой – пренебрежение, пренебрегать): a sleight of hand; a slight fever; to slight one’s duties;

SOAR – SORE (парить, взмывать – болячка, воспалённый): prices soared; a cold sore; a sore throat;

SOLE – SOLE – SOLE – SOUL (единственный – подошва – камбала – душа): sole heir; shoe sole; fillet of sole; body and soul;

SOME – SUM (какой-то, некоторый – сумма): I need some money; a large sum of money;

SON – SUN (сын – солнце): he is my son; she has three sons; the sun is shining;

SOUND – SOUND – SOUND – SOUND (звук – здоровый – зонд, щуп, измерять глубину, зондировать – узкий пролив): the sounds of music; a sound mind in a sound body; to sound the depth; the Long Island Sound;

STABLE – STABLE (конюшня – стабильный, прочный): a stable full of horses; a stable position;

STAIR – STARE (ступенька – пристально смотреть): go down the stairs; don’t stare at people;

STAKE – STAKE – STEAK (кол, столб – ставка – бифштекс): to pull up stakes; the stakes are high; I’d like a steak for dinner;

STALK – STALK (стебель – выслеживать, подкрадываться): corn stalk; to stalk a deer;

STATIONARY – STATIONERY (неподвижный – писчая бумага и др. канц. товары): stationary bicycle; letterhead stationery;

STEAL – STEEL (красть – сталь): to steal money; to steal a kiss; stainless steel; a heart of steel;

STEP – STEPPE (шаг, шагнуть – степь): the next step; to step forward; alpine steppe;

STICK – STICK (палка, палочка – воткнуть, проколоть, вставить, высунуть, приклеить): he struck him with a stick; to stick a needle into one’s finger; to stick a stamp on an envelope;

STRAIGHT – STRAIT (прямой – узкий пролив): a straight road; the Strait of Gibraltar;

SUITE – SWEET (комплект, номер-люкс, сюита – сладкий): a hotel suite; this cake is too sweet;

TAIL – TALE (хвост – рассказ): a bird with a long tail; a long and interesting tale;

TEA – TEE – TEE (чай – T-образный – метка для мяча в гольфе): a cup of tea; a tea party; a tee joint; to a tee; to tee off;

TEAM – TEEM (команда, объединяться – изобиловать): a football team; to teem with fish;

TEAR – TIER (слеза – ярус): tears in her eyes; the second tier;

THYME – TIME (тимьян – время): thyme is used for seasoning; I need more time;

TIC – TICK – TICK – TICK (тик – тикать, тиканье, галочка – клещ – чехол для матраца): to suffer from tic; the ticking of the clock; to mark with a tick; tick fever; bedtick;

TIP – TIP – TIP – TIP (кончик – наклонить – чаевые – намёк, совет, предупредить): the tip of the tongue; to tip the scales; a one-dollar tip; to give a tip; useful tips on gardening; to tip off;

TOAST – TOAST (тост, гренок – тост за): a piece of toast; I’d like to propose a toast to Alan’s health;

TOE – TOW (палец ноги – буксир, буксировать): I stubbed my toe; a tow truck; to tow a car;

TOO – TWO (тоже – два): I like it too. I spent two days at the lake.

TRAIN – TRAIN (поезд – учить, тренировать): to go by train; to train nurses; to train for the championship;

TRUNK – TRUNK (ствол дерева, туловище, хобот слона – сундук, багажник): the trunk of a tree; an elephant’s trunk; a wooden trunk; the trunk of a car;

VAIN – VANE – VEIN (тщетный, тщеславный – флюгер, лопасть – вена): in vain; she is vain; a weather vane; the vanes of a turbine; veins carry blood to the heart;

VICE – VISE, VICE (порок – тиски): vice squad; organized vice; table vise; vise clamp;

WAIL – WHALE (вопль, вой, вопить, выть – кит): a wail of grief; to wail with pain; killer whales;

WAIST – WASTE (талия – излишняя трата): a slender waist; a waste of time; to waste money;

WAIT – WEIGHT (ждать – вес): to wait for an hour; her weight is 65 kilograms;

WAIVE – WAVE (отказаться от требования – волна, качаться, махать): to waive a claim; ocean waves; a wave of emotion; to wave a flag;

WARE – WEAR – WHERE (изделия – одежда, носить одежду – где): glassware; kitchenware; women’s wear; sportswear; she is wearing a suit; Where is Mike?

WAY – WEIGH – WHEY (путь – взвесить – молочная сыворотка): to find a way; the shortest way; to weigh potatoes; she weighs 65 kilograms; curd and whey;

WEAK – WEEK (слабый – неделя): weak eyes; weak will; next week; for two weeks;

WEATHER – WHETHER (погода – ли): nice weather; ask her whether she wants to go;

WELL – WELL (хорошо – колодец): very well; to feel well; a deep well;

WET – WHET (мокрый – обострить): wet hands; wet floor; to whet a knife; to whet the appetite;

WHICH – WITCH (который – ведьма, колдунья): which of these; Which bag is yours? She is a real witch.

WHINE – WINE (скулить – вино): my dog often whines; stop whining; red wine; French wines;

WILL – WILL (вспом. и мод. гл.: будет – воля, желание, завещание): he will see you tomorrow; he has the will to succeed;

YOKE – YOLK (ярмо, хомут, иго – желток): the yoke of slavery; the yolk of an egg.

The same spelling, different pronunciation, different meaning

(Одинаковое написание, разное произношение, разное значение)

BOW [bou] – BOW [bau] – BOW [bau] (лук для стрельбы, дуга, смычок, бант, галстук-бабочка – поклон, наклонить – корма судна): a bow and arrows; a rainbow; the bow of a violin; a bow tie; to take a bow; to bow one’s head; the ship’s bow;

DESERT [‘dezərt] – DESERT [di’zərt] (пустыня – покидать): the Sahara Desert; he deserted her;

FORTE [fo:rt] – FORTE [‘fo:rtei], [‘fo:rti] (сильная сторона – муз.: форте): good spelling is her forte; forte-piano;

LEAD [li:d] – LEAD [led] (вести – свинец): this road leads to the lake; as heavy as lead;

ROW [rou] – ROW [rau] (ряд – ссора): Please stand in a row. My neighbors had a row yesterday.

SOW [sou] – SOW [sau] (сеять – свинья): to sow the seeds; to raise sows;

TEAR [tiər] – TEAR [teər] (слеза – рвать): tears in her eyes; to tear up his letter;

WIND [wind] – WIND [waind] (ветер – извиваться, заводить): a cold wind; to wind the clock.

Note: Homonyms in the form of proper names are not included in the list because there may be hundreds of them. Examples: bet – Bette; bell – Belle; bill – Bill; may – May – Mae; cliff – Cliff; penny – Penny; capital – Capitol; grease – Greece; main – Maine. (Омонимы в виде имён собственных не включены в список, т.к. их могут быть сотни.)

Homonyms with certain word forms

Many other homonyms occur when verbs, nouns, or pronouns are used in certain forms showing person, number, or tense. Word order and meaning help us to distinguish between such homonyms aurally. Examples: He left the house to his son. The house on the left belongs to my aunt. The list below provides examples of word forms that have the same pronunciation as some other words.

Многие другие омонимы возникают, когда глаголы, существительные или местоимения употреблены в некоторых формах, показывающих лицо, число или время. Порядок слов и значение помогают нам различить такие омонимы на слух. Примеры: He left the house to his son. (Он оставил дом своему сыну.) The house on the left belongs to my aunt. (Дом слева принадлежит моей тёте.) Список ниже дает примеры словоформ, которые имеют одинаковое произношение с некоторыми другими словами.

Third person singular:

sees – seize – seas (видит – схватить – моря); knows – nose (знает – нос); brews – bruise (варит – синяк); adds – ads (добавляет – объявления); links – lynx (соединяет – рысь); means – means (значит – средство); pries – prize (суёт нос в чужие дела – приз); prays – praise (молится – похвала, хвалить);

Past Indefinite:

allowed – aloud (разрешил – вслух); banned – band (запретил – отряд, группа); bored – board (заскучавший – доска); fined – find (оштрафовал – найти); leased – least (арендовал – наименьший); missed – mist (пропустил – туман); passed – past (прошёл – прошлое); owed – ode (был должен – ода); mowed – mode (скосил – способ); towed – toad (буксировал – жаба); mustered – mustard (собрал – горчица); tied – tide (связал – прилив);

led – lead [led] (вёл – свинец); read [red] – red (прочитал – красный); rode – road (ехал – дорога); made – maid (сделал – девушка); saw (увидел) – saw (пила); sent – cent (послал – цент); blew – blue (подул – синий); flew – flu (летел – грипп); knew – new (знал – новый); threw – through (бросил – сквозь); ate – eight (ел – восемь); won – one (выиграл – один); heard – herd (слышал – стадо); left – left (ушёл – левый); wore – war (был одет в – война); would – wood;

Past Participle:

ground – ground (молотый – земля); grown – groan (выращенный – стон); mown – moan (скошенный – стон); thrown – throne (брошенный – трон); seen – scene (увиденный – сцена); lain – lane (пролежавший – узкая дорога);

Plural nouns:

rays – raise (лучи – поднять); days – daze (дни – оцепенение); rows – rose – rose (ряды – роза – поднялся); brows – browse (брови – просматривать); claws – clause (когти – статья, пункт); seas – seize (моря – схватить); feet – feat (ступни, ноги – достижение, подвиг, мастерство);

Pronouns:

him – hymn (его – гимн); mine – mine (мой – рудник, мина); our – hour (наш – час); their – there (их – там);

Contractions:

who’s – whose (кто есть – чей); it’s – its (это есть – её); there’s – theirs (там есть – их); I’ll – aisle (я буду – проход); he’ll – heel (он будет – пятка); we’ll – wheel (мы будем – колесо); we’d – weed (мы бы – сорняк); he’d – heed (он бы – внимание);

Words with suffixes:

fourth – forth (четвёртый – вперёд); higher – hire (выше – нанимать); miner – minor (шахтёр – небольшой); chilly – chili (холодный – перец чили); wholly – holy (целиком – святой);

Two-word combination – one word:

all ready – already (всё готово – уже); all together – altogether (все вместе – вполне, совсем); any way – anyway (любой путь – во всяком случае); he may be there – maybe he is there (он может быть там – возможно он там); mean time (среднее время) – meantime (тем временем).

Note: In British English, homonyms (homophones) may also occur in some of those cases where the sound [r] is not pronounced in words. For example: arms – alms; pour – paw; sore – saw; sort – sought; court – caught, etc. Such words are not homophones in American English where the sound [r] is pronounced in all cases. Note that «ant» and «aunt», pronounced [ænt], are homophones in American English.

Homonymous constructions

In English, not only words but whole constructions can be homonymous in their structure. Due to the limited number of different grammatical forms, the same form is used in different functions. For example, there are only two case forms for personal pronouns (I — me, he – him, we – us, etc.) and only one case form for nouns (i.e., in fact there are no case forms for nouns); the ending ING is used for gerund, present participle, and some adjectives; IT is used as a pronoun in the third person singular for inanimate objects and as a grammatical subject in impersonal sentences. As a result, homonymous constructions appear. Compare these examples:

В английском языке не только слова, но и целые конструкции могут быть омонимичными по своему построению. Из-за ограниченного числа разных грамматических форм, одна и та же форма используется в разных функциях. Например, есть только две формы падежей для личных местоимений (I — me, he – him, we – us и т.д.) и только одна форма падежей для существительных (т.е. фактически нет форм падежей существительных); окончание ING используется для герундия, причастия настоящего времени и некоторых прилагательных; IT используется как местоимение в 3 лице ед. числа для неодушевлённых предметов и как грамматическое подлежащее в безличных предложениях. Как результат, появляются омонимичные конструкции. Сравните эти примеры:

She called him a taxi. (Она вызвала ему такси.) – She called him an idiot. (Она назвала его идиотом.)

They made him a hero. (Они сделали его героем.) – They made him a sandwich. (Они сделали ему бутерброд.)

I see a moving ‘truck. (Я вижу движущийся грузовик.) – I see a ‘moving truck. (Я вижу грузовик для перевозки мебели.)

He is reading. (Он читает.) – He is interesting. (Он интересный.)

It’s water. (Это вода.) – It’s Monday. (Понедельник. – т.е. Сегодня понедельник.)

It’s cold. (Оно холодное. – о предмете) – It’s cold. (Холодно. – о погоде)

If you’re looking to discover a complete list of homonyms in English, you’ve come to the right place. Here you will find interesting homonym definitions and a comprehensive list of homonyms in English with example sentences and ESL printable worksheets.

What Is A Homonym?

In English, a homonym is a word that sounds the same as another word but differs in meaning.

Homonyms can refer to both homophones and homographs.

• A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning and is spelled differently.
• Homographs are words with the same spelling but having more than one meaning.

The description of a homonym covers that of both a homograph and a homophone. For example, ‘bear’, ‘tear’ and ‘lead’ are all homographs, but they also satisfy the criteria of a homonym. They simply need to look or sound the same. Likewise, while ‘sell’, ‘cell’, ‘by’, and ‘buy’ are all homophones, they are also homonyms.

Common Examples of Homonyms

Words that sound the same but have different meanings and are spelled differently (homophones)

• Weak — Week
• Sun — Son
• See — Sea
• Plane — Plain
• Meet — Meat

Words that sound the same but have different meanings and are spelled the same (homographs)

• Address – Address
• Band – Band
• Bat – Bat
• Match – Match
• Mean – Mean
• Right – Right
• Ring – Ring

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Related: Homographs, Homophones and Homonyms: Words that Sound the Same!

Homonyms Examples

Examples of Homonyms in Sentences

Learn a huge list of homonyms in English with example sentences.

Address – Address

• I can give you the address of a good attorney.
• That letter was addressed to me.

Band – Band

• The band was playing old Beatles songs.
• She always ties her hair back in a band.
• Many insects are banded black and yellow.

Bat – Bat

• I am afraid of bats.
• It’s his first time at bat in the major leagues.

Match – Match

• If you suspect a gas leak do not strike a match or use electricity.
• Her fingerprints match those found at the scene of the crime.

Mean – Mean

• What does this sentence mean?
• He needed to find a mean between frankness and rudeness.

Right – Right

• I’m sure I’m right.
• Take a right turn at the intersection.

Ring – Ring

• What a beautiful ring!
• The children sat on the floor in a ring.

Rock – Rock

• Komuro formed a rock band with some friends while in college.
• To build the tunnel, they had to cut through 500 feet of solid rock.

Rose – Rose

• She has a rose garden.
• Sales rose by 20% over the Christmas period.

Spring – Spring

• I’m sorry to spring it on you, but I’ve been offered another job.
• He was born in the spring of 1944.

Stalk – Stalk

• He ate the apple, stalk and all.
• Snatching up my bag, I stalk out of the room.

Well – Well

• The conference was very well organized.
• The dog fell down a well.

Clip – Clip

• They are clips from the new James Bond film.
• The wire is held on with a metal clip.

Date – Date

• The date on the letter was 30th August 1962.
• She and Ron go to the park to date.

Drop – Drop

• The apples are beginning to drop from the trees.
• A single drop of blood splashed onto the floor.

Fly – Fly

• A fly was buzzing against the window.
• Let’s fly a kite.

Letter – Letter

• There’s a letter for you.
• “B” is the second letter of the alphabet.

Palm – Palm

• He held the bird gently in the palm of his hand.
• The coconut palm is a native of Malaysia.

Park – Park

• We went for a walk in the park.
• The tennis court is sometimes used as a car park.

Point – Point

• He’s just saying that to prove a point.
• Everything seemed to point in one direction.

Ruler – Ruler

• I have a 12 inch ruler.
• King Priam was a firm, but just ruler.

Saw – Saw

• Saw is a tool that has a long blade with sharp points along one of its edges.
• Last night, I saw a lovely girl.

Scale – Scale

• They entertain on a large scale.
• He somehow managed to scale the sheer outside wall of the tower.

Ship – Ship

• There are two restaurants on board ship.
• A new engine was shipped over from the US.

Sink – Sink

• The ships sink to the bottom of the sea.
• I felt chained to the kitchen sink.

Tie – Tie

• She tied her hair into a ponytail.
• I wear a shirt and tie at work.

Trip – Trip

• We went on a trip to the mountains.
• Someone will trip over that cable.

Wave – Wave

• Huge waves were breaking on the shore.
• The people on the bus waved and we waved back.

Cool – Cool

• She swam out into the cool water.
• When tempers had cooled, he apologized.

Duck – Duck

• Every afternoon they went to the park to feed the duck.
• He had to duck as he came through the door.

Fall – Fall

• September had come and the leaves were starting to fall.
• The area is beautiful in the fall.

File – File

• Every file on the same disk must have a different name.
• We began to file out into the car park.

Foot – Foot

• My foot hurts.
• Once again it will be the taxpayer who has to foot the bill.

Left – Left

• Look left and right before you cross the road.
• The plane left for Dallas last night.

Nail – Nail

• The key was hanging on a nail by the door.
• I’ve broken my nail.

Watch – Watch

• I like watching TV every night. 
• I glanced at my watch.

Can – Can

• Gabriella can speak French fluently.
• We drank a can of Coke each.

Homonyms Examples (Homophones)

Homonyms can refer to homophones (words that are pronounced the same as other words but differ in meaning and are spelled differently).

Fort – Fought

• Just the three of you going to be holding the fort tonight.
• He fought many battles with the early Labor party in Lancaster and discrimination against socialist employees was alleged.

Foul – Fowl

• He woke up with a foul taste in his mouth.
• Fish, fowl and meat, most with a decidedly Southwestern treatment, are represented on the menu.

Groan – Grown

• Richard’s jokes make you groan rather than laugh.
• He had been a grown man with a small but independent income when he had taken Minnie instead of her to wife.

Holy – Wholly

• The priest puts some holy water on the child’s head.
• The report claimed that the disaster was wholly unavoidable.

Hour – Our

• The interview lasted half an hour.
• We showed them some of our photos.

I – Eye

• I moved to this city six years ago.
• Ow! I’ve got something in my eye!

Know – No

• I know people’s handwriting changes as they get older.
  “It was Tony.”
• “‘No, you’re wrong. It was Ted.”

Links – Lynx

• A love of nature links the two poets.
• They may be eagle-eyed or watch like a lynx.

Mail – Male

• He found a mountain of mail waiting for him.
• Many women earn less than their male colleagues.

Meet – Meat

• Maybe we’ll meet again some time.
• I gave up eating meat a few months ago.

Peace – Piece

• I wish she would just leave me in peace.
• He broke off a piece of bread and gave it her.

Right – Write

• Keep on the right side of the road.
• She had to write a report on the project.

Scene – Seen

• The police soon arrived at the scene of the crime.
• He crouched down so he couldn’t be seen.

Than – Then

• Natalie was prettier than her sister.
• I wish I had known then what I know now.

Weak – Week

• She is still weak after her illness.
• He comes to see us once a week.

Homonyms List

Homonyms can refer to both homographs and homophones.

Homonyms (Homophones)

List of homonyms in English.

• Ad – Add
• Ail – Ale
• Air – Heir
• All – Awl
• Allowed – Aloud
• Alms – Arms
• Altar – Alter
• Ant – Aunt
• Arc – Ark
• Ate – Eight
• Auger – Augur
• Aural – Oral
• Baize – Bays
• Bald – Bawled
• Ball – Bawl
• Band – Banned
• Bard – Barred
• Bare – Bear
• Baron – Barren
• Be – Bee
• Beach – Beech
• Bean – Been
• Beer – Bier
• Berry – Bury
• Berth – Birth
• Billed – Build
• Blue – Blew
• Bored – Board
• Braid – Brayed
• Break – Brake
• Brews – Bruise
• Bridal – Bridle
• Broach – Brooch
• Buy – By/ Bye
• Capital – Capitol
• Cellar – Seller
• Census – Sense
• Cereal – Serial
• Chili – Chilly
• Choral – Coral
• Cite – Sight / Site
• Coarse – Course
• Complement – Compliment
• Coun – Counsel
• Deer – Dear
• Die – Dye
• Discreet – Discrete
• Doe – Dough
• Done – Dun
• Draft – Draught
• Dual – Duel
• Earn – Urn
• Ewe – You
• Farther – Father
• Faze – Phase
• File – Phial
• Find – Fined
• Fir – Fur
• Flaw – Floor
• Flea – Flee
• Flew – Flu/ Flue
• Flex – Flecks
• Flour – Flower
• For – Four
• Foreword – Forward
• Fort – Fought
• Foul – Fowl
• Gait – Gate
• Gamble – Gambol
• Genes – Jeans
• Gored – Gourd
• Great – Grate
• Groan – Grown
• Hart – Heart
• Hear – Here
• Heel – Heal
• Hi – High
• Him – Hymn
• Hoard – Horde
• Hole – Whole
• Holy – Wholly
• Hour – Our
• I – Eye
• Idle – Idol
• Incite – Insight
• Knead – Need
• Knew – New
• Knight – Night
• Knot – Not
• Know – No
• Leak – Leek
• Lessen – Lesson
• Levee – Levy
• Links – Lynx
• Loan – Lone
• Loot – Lute
• Made – Maid
• Mail – Male
• Main – Mane
• Manna – Manner
• Marshal – Martial
• Mask – Masque
• Maw – More
• Medal – Meddle
• Meet – Meat
• Might – Mite
• Mist – Missed
• Moose – Mousse
• Muscle – Mussel
• None – Nun
• Oar – Or
• Overdo – Overdue
• Pail – Pale
• Pain – Pane
• Pair – Pear
• Passed – Past
• Peace – Piece
• Peak – Peek
• Pedal – Peddle
• Plane – Plain
• Principal – Principle
• Profit – Prophet
• Rain – Reign
• Red – Read
• Right – Write
• Ring – Wring
• Rode – Road
• Role – Roll
• Rouse – Rows
• Rung – Wrung
• Sail – Sale
• Sauce – Seen
• Scull – Skull
• See – Sea
• Shoe – Shoo
• Side – Sighed
• Slay – Sleigh
• Soar – Sore
• Sole – Soul
• Some – Sum
• Sort  – Sought
• Staid – Stayed
• Stalk – Stork
• Stare – Stair
• Stationary – Stationery
• Steal – Steel
• Stile – Style
• Sun – Son
• Tail – Tale
• Team – Teem
• Than – Then
• Their – There
• Throne – Thrown
• Tide – Tied
• To – Too / Two
• Toe – Tow
• Vain – Vein
• Vary – Very
• Wail – Whale
• Waste – Waist
• Way – Weigh
• Weak – Week
• Weather  – Whether
• Where – Wear
• Which – Witch
• Who’s – Whose
• Won – One
• Would – Wood
• You’r – Your

Homonyms (Homographs)

List of homonyms in English.

• Address – Address
• Band – Band
• Bat – Bat
• Match – Match
• Mean – Mean
• Right – Right
• Ring – Ring
• Rock – Rock
• Rose – Rose
• Spring – Spring
• Stalk – Stalk
• Well – Well
• Clip – Clip
• Date – Date.
• Drop – Drop
• Fly – Fly
• Letter – Letter
• Palm – Palm
• Park – Park
• Point – Point
• Ruler – Ruler
• Saw – Saw
• Scale – Scale
• Ship – Ship
• Sink – Sink
• Tie – Tie
• Trip – Trip
• Wave – Wave
• Cool – Cool
• Duck – Duck
• Fall – Fall
• File – File
• Foot – Foot
• Left – Left
• Nail – Nail
• Watch – Watch
• Can – Can

Homonyms Examples | Images

List of Homonyms | Homonyms List in English | Image

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Resources Related to Homonyms

• Commonly Confused Words
• Most Difficult Words
• Commonly Mispronounced Words
• Commonly Misspelled Words
• Homographs, Homophones, Homonyms
• Homophones
• Homographs
• Grammatical Errors

Homophones List

Last Updated on March 16, 2023

Ever chat to your friend about baking bread, and you’re both confused between needing some flour and kneading some flour because neither of you has provided further context? That’s an example of homonymy, words with different meanings but pronounced and/or spelt the same. The definition of homonymy is rather broad, as it covers both the pronunciation and the spelling. , which we will explain further with some examples and comparisons to other lexically ambiguous words!

• Do you have a rubber band?
• My band is performing tonight.

• We band every bird to track their movements.

Some other examples of homonymy are:

Address:

• Your essay fails to address the main issue. = give attention to a problem (verb)

Park:

• You can’t park your car here. = to leave a vehicle somewhere for some time (verb).
• Are you heading to the park now? = a public place with fields and trees (noun).

Tender:

• After the accident, he needs some tender loving care. = gentle (adjective).
• Your firm submitted the lowest tender. = a formal offer to supply goods or do work at a stated price (noun).

Skirt:

• Every night she rocks her baby to sleep. = to move backwards and forwards (verb).
• Yesterday’s storm forced the ship onto the rocks. = a mass of rock standing in the sea (noun).

Rose:

• Someone left you a rose. = a type of flower (noun).
• The price rose significantly last month. = to increase (verb — the past form of ‘rise’).

Types of homonymy

Homonymy can be further subdivided into more specific types that only concern either spelling or pronunciation. These are called homophones and homographs respectively.

Fig 3 — Homonyms can be further broken down into homophones and homographs.

• Sorry, I don’t eat meat. (noun)
• Let’s meet again tomorrow! (verb)

Sun-son

• The sun is hiding behind the clouds. (noun)
• My son is going to university next year. (noun)

Plain — plane

• I like your idea. It’s plain and simple. (adjective)
• The plane is having some problems at the moment. (noun)

Bow

Desert

A pun is a literary device that plays on words using two identical or similar sounding words with different and/or contradictory meanings. The first meaning is usually quite reasonable, while the secondary meaning is less sensitive.

For example:

Homonym wordplay is more effective in spoken communication than in writing because the humorous effects are more pronounced when the spelling is not defined. However, if the homonyms are cleverly constructed, they can produce some witty results.

• Waiter, will the pancakes be long? — No, sir, round
• What did the chess piece say before bed? — Knight knight
• What is ice cream’s favorite day of the week? — Sundae

• (2) bound = constrained; and,
• (3) bound = leap. Romeo still refuses Mercutio’s suggestion and here he replies, I’m too sore after being hit by the Cupid’s arrow to soar with his light feather. I’m being constrained by this love. I can’t leap.

Shakespeare uses the combination of main — Maine several times in this excerpt from Henry VI. These are homophones. Warwick repeats the word main as a transitional means (sound unit) to redefine Maine, the French county. Then, he adds meant (a variant of main — Maine) in between the last homophonic pair (3).

Reading the text may not cause ambiguity since you can read the words and know exactly what each word means. However, if you watch the play or only hear this wordplay, it may cause some confusion.

Example 3: Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland (1865).

The words flour — flower are homophones because they’re pronounced the same but written differently. Of course, to make bread we need flour, not flower, but by playing with words in this way, Carroll provides some comical impressions of the characters.

The words ground — ground are homonyms because they’re pronounced and written the same but have different meanings. The first ground refers to ‘the surface of the earth’, while the second one means ‘an area of land’.

Polysemies:

Homonyms examples with sentences! Homonyms are the words with same spellings. Homonyms are specific words having the same spelling or pronunciation. There are a lot of homonyms in English and it is very important to study homonyms.

Types of Homonyms

Homonyms are words that have the same spelling or pronunciation but different meanings. There are different types of homonyms:

1. Homophones: Words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings, such as “knight” and “night” or “flower” and “flour”.
2. Homographs: Words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and pronunciations, such as “tear” (a drop of water from the eye) and “tear” (to rip something apart).
3. Heteronyms: Words that are spelled the same but have different pronunciations and meanings, such as “read” (past tense of “read”) and “read” (present tense of “read”).
4. Capitonyms: Words that are spelled the same but have different meanings depending on whether the first letter is capitalized or not, such as “March” (a month) and “march” (to walk in a military-style).
5. Polysemes: Words that have multiple meanings, such as “bank” (a financial institution, the edge of a river, or tilt or turn to one side).

100 Examples of Homonyms with Sentences

Here are 100 examples of homonyms in English:

Address Address	What is the address of your school? I have to address this parcel to Ali’s home.
Date Date Date	What was the date of your birth? A date is a fruit with a sweet taste. Their date was ruined because of her ex.
Well Well	You are performing very well today. This well is full of water.
Spring Spring	My cycle spring is of low quality. Spring season is in bloom.
Ring Ring	He was beaten hard by his opponent in the ring. I am looking for a ring of gold for my girlfriend.
Match Match	Who will win today’s cricket match? I think there is no match between me and you.
Left Left	There is a mouse on your right. He totally forget his baby and left him in his car.
Letter Letter	You are supposed to write your name in capital letters. I have received a promotion letter from my boss.
Band Band	ROC band is a master in singing. She was looking for her hairband.
Sink Sink	The sink was full of vessels. The plane sank into the river yesterday.
Wave Wave	He waves his hand and went away. The children were playing in the little waves on the beach.
Arm Arm	We’re armed there for two days. My arm is paining.
Bank Bank	He was singing on the river bank. Bank transfer is not possible today.
Watch Watch	She was watching her favorite serial. Someone has stolen her golden watch yesterday.
Put Put	Can you please put some sugar? He was putting me backward.
Book Book	Please book a reservation for my friend. She was reading a history book.
Palm Palm	Palm trees are famous for their long head. He applied power with the palm of his hand.
Park Park	The National Park of Pakistan is very beautiful. Parking is not allowed here.
Point Point	You are not getting my point. Is this the center point for this geometry?
Clip Clip	Her hair clip was a yellow color. I only have a video clip as proof.
File File	My file was on her table. Carpenter was filing the right door.
Cool Cool	It’s a nice cool morning. How cool and delicious it was!
Ship Ship	I like to travel by ship. He was shipping his parcel to the United States.
Saw Saw	They have seen me doing the crime. She was cutting wood with a saw.
Nail Nail	Her nails are a golden color. Let’s hit the nail on the head.
Ruler Ruler	Did Shahjahan was a great ruler? I will require a rule to draw a straight line.
Tie Tie	I am looking for my black tie. The cricket match will tie today.
Rose Rose	She rose her hand in the class. I like rose flowers.
Scale Scale	I am scaling my business gradually. The pipe was blocked because of scale.
Can Can	He can sign well. He hit the can and ran away.
Fly Fly	Birds are of various kinds and colors. A Fly is an insect with six legs
Duck Duck	A white duck was swimming in the pond. I guess He is not capable of ducking the issue anymore.
Drop Drop	She hoped he’d drop the subject. Dew drops are falling onto the grass.
Bear Bear	Bears are black color animals. She has to bear a lot after the death of her husband.
Bat Bat	He has a lucky cricket bat. Bat is a bird of black color.
Fall Fall	Night fell before we got home. Leaves are falling from the tree.

Homophones and Example Sentences

Note: Homophones are also called homonyms.

Add: Can you add some salt to the soup? Ad: I saw an ad for a new phone.

Air: The air in the mountains is fresh and crisp. Heir: He is the heir to the family fortune.

Allowed: Smoking is not allowed in this building. Aloud: Can you read the poem aloud for the class?

Ant: The ant crawled across the kitchen counter. Aunt: My aunt is coming to visit us next week.

Ate: I ate breakfast early this morning. Eight: There are eight people in my family.

Ball: They played a game of ball at the park. Bawl: She started to bawl when she heard the bad news.

Band: The band played their new song at the concert. Banned: Smoking is banned in this area.

Beach: Let’s go to the beach this weekend. Beech: The leaves on the beech tree are turning yellow.

Bee: The bee buzzed around the flowers. Be: Just be yourself.

Berry: I picked some fresh berries from the garden. Bury: They buried the time capsule in the backyard.

Berth: The ship docked at its berth in the port. Birth: The baby’s birth was a joyful occasion.

Better: I hope you feel better soon. Bettor: He is a professional sports bettor.

Board: He wrote his ideas on the board. Bored: She was bored during the long meeting.

Boarder: The school has many boarders who live on campus. Border: The fence marks the border between the two countries.

Break: I need a break from work. Brake: Step on the brake to stop the car.

Buy: I need to buy some groceries at the store. By: He walked by the park on his way to work. Bye: She waved goodbye to her friends.

Cache: He found a cache of hidden treasure in the forest. Cash: I need to withdraw some cash from the ATM.

Can: Can you pass me the salt, please? Can: I can play the guitar.

Cell: He spent the night in a jail cell. Sell: She wants to sell her old car.

Cent: The coin is worth one cent. Sent: She sent an email to her boss.

Chance: There is a chance of rain today. Chants: The fans chanted the team’s name at the game.

Cheap: The shirt was cheap and fell apart after one wash. Cheep: The baby chick made a cheep sound.

Chile: Chile is a country in South America. Chili: I love spicy chili for dinner.

Choir: The choir sang beautifully at the concert. Quire: A quire is a unit of paper measurement.

Climb: He climbed to the top of the mountain. Clime: The tropical clime is warm all year round.

Die: The plant will die without water.

Dye: She wants to dye her hair pink.

Facts: I checked the facts before writing the report. Fax: Can you send me the document by fax?

Feat: Running a marathon is quite a feat. Feet: She wore socks to keep her feet warm.

Find: I can’t find my keys anywhere. Fined: He was fined for parking in the wrong spot.

Finnish: I am Finnish, but I live in the United States. Finish: I am almost done, just need to finish the last page.

Flat: The tire is flat and needs to be replaced. Flat: She lives in a flat in the city.

Flower: The flower bloomed in the spring. Flour: She added some flour to the dough to make bread.

Fool: He is such a fool for not wearing a helmet. Full: The glass is full of water.

Fort: The fort was built to protect the city from invaders. Fought: The soldiers fought bravely in the battle.

Foul: The basketball player committed a foul. Fowl: She cooked a roasted fowl for Thanksgiving.

Genbe: The gene determines your eye color. Jean: She wore a pair of blue jeans to the party.

Gilt: The picture frame has a gilt finish. Guilt: He felt guilt for not helping his friend.

Grate: She grated some cheese for the pasta. Great: The view from the top of the mountain was great.

Greece: I have always wanted to visit Greece. Grease: Be careful not to slip on the grease.

Groan: The old chair made a groan when I sat on it. Grown: He has grown a lot taller in the last year.

He’ll: He’ll be back soon. Heal: She put a bandage on her wound to help it heal.

Higher: He wanted to achieve a higher position in the company. Hire: They decided to hire a new employee.

Holy: The holy book is revered by many. Wholly: She was wholly committed to her work.

Hour: I will be there in an hour. Our: Our house is painted blue.

I: I am going to the store. Eye: She closed her eye to go to sleep.

Isle: We are going to visit a small isle in the Caribbean. Aisle: The bride walked down the aisle to meet her groom.

Knead: You need to knead the dough to make bread. Need: I need a new pair of shoes.

Knows: He knows how to fix the car. Nose: The dog’s nose is wet and cold.

Leak: The faucet is leaking and needs to be fixed. Leek: She added some leeks to the soup.

Lessen: The medicine will lessen the pain. Lesson: She learned a valuable lesson from her mistake.

Lie: You should never lie to your friends. Lye: Lye is a strongly alkaline solution used for cleaning.

Links: The golfer used his links to hit the ball. Lynx: The lynx is a wild cat found in North America.

Mail: I need to check my mail for any important letters. Male: He is a male cat.

Meet: Let’s meet for lunch tomorrow. Meat: I bought some meat for dinner tonight.

Merry: They had a merry time at the party. Marry: She is going to marry her fiancé next month.

Miner: The miner dug for gold in the mine. Minor: She is a minor and cannot vote yet.

Muscle: He has strong muscles from working out. Mussel: I ordered the seafood platter with mussels.

Need: I need to buy some milk at the store. Knead: You need to knead the dough to make bread.

Pain: She felt a sharp pain in her leg. Pane: The window pane was cracked.

Patience: Patience is a virtue. Patients: The doctor has many patients to see today.

Practice: Practice makes perfect. Practise: He likes to practise his guitar every day.

Praise: She received praise for her hard work. Prays: She prays every night before going to bed.

Pray: She likes to pray before going to bed. Prey: The lion hunted its prey in the jungle.

Profit: The company made a large profit this quarter. Prophet: The prophet predicted that it would rain tomorrow.

Rain: It is raining outside, so bring an umbrella. Reign: The king’s reign lasted for 50 years.

Red: I love the color red. Read: I like to read books in my free time.

Right: You were right about the answer. Write: She loves to write stories.

Ring: I want to give her a diamond ring for our anniversary. Wring: Please wring out the wet towel.

Rough: The road is rough and bumpy. Ruff: The dog’s fur is so soft and ruff.

Route: They took a scenic route to the beach. Root: The tree’s roots were spreading out too far.

Scent: The flowers had a sweet scent. Sense: She has a good sense of humor.

Scents: The perfumes had different scents. Sense: She had a good sense of direction.

See: Can you see the bird on the tree? Sea: We are going to spend our vacation by the sea.

Seen: I have seen that movie before. Scene: The crime scene was roped off by the police.

Sew: She loves to sew her own clothes. So: I am so tired after a long day of work.

Site: The construction site is closed on weekends. Sight: The view from the top of the mountain was a breathtaking sight.

Solace: The kind words provided solace for the grieving family. Soulless: The abandoned house felt soulless.

Sobul: The soul is the spiritual part of a person. Sole: The fish was cooked with a sole fillet.

Sour: The lemon was too sour to eat. Sore: Her muscles were sore after a long workout.

Steal: He tried to steal the candy from the store. Steel: The building was made of steel.

Stile: They climbed over the stile to get to the other side of the fence. Style: She has a unique style of dressing.

Sun: The sun is shining brightly today. Son: My son is going to college next year.

Than: She is taller than her sister. Then: She went to the store, then came back home.

Their: Their house is painted yellow. There: The park is over there, by the river.

Thyme: Thyme is a herb used in cooking. Time: I don’t have time to watch a movie tonight.

Too: I ate too much pizza for lunch. Two: I have two cats at home.

Vary: The prices of the products vary depending on the store. Very: I am very excited about the concert tonight.

Way: Can you show me the way to the nearest gas station? Weight: I need to lose some weight.

We’ll: We’ll see you at the party tonight. Wheel: The car has four wheels.

Where: Where did you park your car? Wear: She likes to wear dresses in the summer.

Wore: She wore a red dress to the party. War: The country declared war on its neighbor.

Wreak: The storm wreaked havoc on the town. Reek: The garbage truck had a strong reek.

Your: Your new dress looks great on you. You’re: You’re going to love this book.

List of Homonyms With Meaning

Bank (financial institution) Bank (land alongside a body of water)

Bark (the outer layer of a tree) Bark (the sound a dog makes)

Bass (a type of fish) Bass (a low-pitched musical instrument)

Bat (animal) Bat (sports equipment)

Bathe (to wash oneself) Bathe (a body of water for swimming)

Bear (animal) Bear (to tolerate)

Blue (a color) Blue (feeling sad)

Boar (a male pig) Boar (to make holes with tusks)

Bow (bend at the waist) Bow (a weapon for shooting arrows)

Brake (a device for stopping a vehicle) Brake (to slow down or stop)

Bread (a food made from flour) Bread (to coat with breadcrumbs)

Brick (a building material) Brick (to strike with great force)

Bug (an insect) Bug (a problem in software)

Burst (to break open suddenly) Burst (a sudden explosion of emotion)

Bust (a statue of a person’s head and shoulders) Bust (to arrest)

Can (able to) Can (container for holding liquids or food)

Cast (to throw) Cast (the actors in a play or movie)

Caste (a social class) Caste (to mold or shape)

Cell (a unit of life) Cell (a small room for confinement)

Cheap (inexpensive) Cheap (of poor quality)

Check (to examine) Check (a written order for payment)

Close (nearby) Close (shut)

Club (a group of people with a common interest) Club (a blunt weapon)

Content (what is inside) Content (satisfied)

Crane (a type of bird) Crane (a machine used for lifting heavy objects)

Crane (bird) Crane (machine for lifting heavy objects)

Current (the flow of water or electricity) Current (up-to-date information)

Date (calendar day) Date (romantic appointment)

Daze (to stun or bewilder) Daze (a state of confusion)

Dear (loved or valued) Dear (expensive)

Die (to stop living) Die (a device for shaping materials)

Dove (a type of bird) Dove (past tense of dive)

Draw (to make a picture) Draw (to pull something closer)

Duck (a type of bird) Duck (to lower the head to avoid something)

Dust (tiny particles of matter) Dust (to clean by removing dust)

Fair (just or unbiased) Fair (an event for amusement)

Fair (just) Fair (exhibition)

Fan (someone who supports a sports team) Fan (a device for creating a current of air)

File (a tool for smoothing surfaces) File (a folder for storing documents)

Flair (a natural talent) Flare (to burn brightly)

Flour (a powder used for baking) Flower (a plant with petals)

Flow (to move steadily) Flow (the movement of a liquid)

Fly (to move through the air) Fly (a type of insect)

Form (to create) Form (a shape or structure)

Forward (toward the front) Forward (to send something ahead)

Gem (a precious stone) Gem (something highly valued)

Glass (transparent material) Glass (a drinking vessel)

Grate (a frame with parallel bars) Grate (to shred something)

Grave (a burial site) Grave (serious or somber)

Hail (frozen rain) Hail (to greet enthusiastically)

Horse (a large animal) Horse (to provide transportation by horse)

Iron (metal) Iron (to press clothes)

Lead (to go in front) Lead (a heavy metal)

Light (not heavy) Light (radiant energy)

Minute (60 seconds) Minute (very small)

Pen (writing instrument) Pen (an enclosure for animals)

Pole (a long, cylindrical object) Pole (a native or inhabitant of Poland)

Ring (jewelry) Ring (a circular band)

Rock (stone) Rock (to sway back and forth)

Rose (a flower) Rose (past tense of rise)

Row (a line) Row (to paddle a boat)

Scale (measuring device) Scale (outer layer of fish)

Sew (to stitch) Sew (a small town in England)

Tear (to rip) Tear (a drop of liquid from the eye)

Tie (to fasten) Tie (neckwear or accessory)

Trunk (a part of a tree) Trunk (a large suitcase)

Watch (a timepiece) Watch (to observe)

Wave (a gesture) Wave (a disturbance in water)

Wind (air in motion) Wind (to turn or twist)

List of Homonyms in English

• Rose- Rose
• Left – Left
• Duck- Duck
• Date – Date
• Wave – Wave
• Rock – Rock
• File – File
• Band – Band
• Well – Well
• Trip – Trip
• Quarry – Quarry
• Air – Air
• Tie – Tie
• Stalk – Stalk
• Ream – Ream
• Jag – Jag
• Bright – Bright
• Ruler – Ruler
• Put – Put
• Mean – Mean
• Express – Express
• Drop – Drop
• Spring – Spring
• Clips – Clips
• Book – Book
• Bank – Bank
• Spring – Spring
• Right – Right
• Cool – Cool
• Address – Address
• Saw – Saw
• Kind – Kind
• Gift – Gift
• Bear – Bear
• Bat – Bat
• Rose – Rose
• Pound – Pound
• Pole – Pole
• Circular – Circular
• Bark – Bark
• Tender – Tender
• Sink – Sink
• Ship – Ship
• Current – Current
• Address – Address
• Well – Well
• Point- Point
• Match – Match
• Lie – Lie
• Arm – Arm
• Nail – Nail
• Fall – Fall
• Fair – Fair
• Band – Band
• Park – Park
• Letter – Letter
• Fly – Fly
• Bat – Bat
• Tire – Tire
• Scale – Scale
• Palm – Palm
• Can – Can
• Arm – Arm
• Watch – Watch
• Stalk – Stalk
• Ring – Ring
• Match – Match
• Die – Die

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