Homonymous words and word groups examples

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)

Homonyms
are words which are identical in sound and spelling, or, at least, in
one of these aspects, but different in their meaning, e.g. bank, n-a
shore, bank, n-an institution for receiving, lending, and
safeguarding money, ball, n-a sphere, any spherical body, ball, n-a
large dancing party.

The
most widely accepted classification of homonyms is the following:
homonyms proper, homophones and homographs.

Homonyms
proper
are words identical in pronunciation and spelling, like bark, in “the
noise made by a dog”, bark, n “the skin of a tree».

Homophones
are
words of the same sound but of different spelling and meaning:
air-heir, buy-bye, knight-night, peace-piece, write, right, rite.

Homographs
are
words different in sound and in meaning but accidentally identical in
spelling: bow [bou] – bow [bau], lead [li: d] – lead [led], row
[rou] – row [rau], wind [wind] – wind [waind].

Professor
A. I. Smirnitsky classified homonyms into two large classes: full
homonyms and partial homonyms.

Full
lexical homonyms are words which represent the same category of parts
of speech and have the same paradigm. Ex. Match, n – a game, a
contest —— Match, n — a short piece of wood used for producing
fire.

Partial
homonyms are subdivided into three large groups:

A)
Simple lexico-grammatical homonyms words which belong to the same
category of parts of speech. Their paradigms have one identical form,
but it is never the same form (to find – found (Past Indef., Past
Part. of to find)

B)
Complex lexico-grammatical partial homonyms are words of different
categories of part of speech which have one identical form in their
paradigms. e.g. rose, n — rose, v (Past Indef. Of to rise)

C)
Partial lexical homonyms are words of the same category of parts of
speech which are identical only in their corresponding forms. (to
hang (hung, hung), v — to hang (hanged, hanged), to can (canned,
canned — can (could).

Sources of homonyms

One
of the sources of homonyms is phonetic
changes
which words undergo in the course of their historical development. As
a result of such changes, two or more words which were formerly
pronounced differently may develop identical sound forms and thus
become homonyms. (Night and knight).

Borrowing
is another source of homonyms. A borrowed word may, in the final
stage of its phonetic adaptation, duplicate in form either a native
word or another borrowing. Bank, n (“shore”) – is a native
word, and bank, n (“a financial institution”) is an Italian
borrowing.

Word-building
also contributes significantly to the growth of homonymy, and the
most important type in this respect is undoubtedly conversion. Such
pairs of words as comb, n. — to comb, v., pale, adj. — to pale,
v., to make, v. — make, n. are numerous in the vocabulary. Homonyms
of this type, which are the same in sound and spelling but refer to
different categories of parts of speech, are called
lexico-grammatical
homonyms.

Shortening
is a further type of word-building which increases the number of
homonyms. E. g. fan, n. in the sense of «an enthusiastic admirer of
sport or of an actor, singer, etc.» is a shortening produced from
fanatic. Its homonym is a Latin borrowing fan, n. which denotes an
implement for waving lightly to produce a cool current of air.

Words
made by sound-imitation
can also form pairs of homonyms with other words: e. g. bang, n. («a
loud, sudden, explosive noise») — bang, n. («a fringe of hair
combed over the forehead»). Also: mew, n. («the sound a cat makes»)
— mew, n. («a sea gull»).

Two
or more homonyms can originate from different meanings of the same
word when, for some reason, the semantic structure of the word breaks
into several parts. This type of formation of homonyms is called
split
polysemy.

board,
n. — a long and thin piece of timber board, n. — daily meals,
esp. as provided for pay, e. g. room and board

board,
n. — an official group of persons who direct or supervise some
activity, e. g. a board of directors

spring,
n. — the act of springing, a leap spring, n. — a place where a
stream of water comes up out of the earth (R. родник, источник)
spring, n. — a season of the year.

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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:

The word Homonymy (from the Greek—homos: same, onoma: name) is the relation between words with identical forms but different meanings—that is, the condition of being homonyms. A stock example is the word bank as it appears in «river bank» and «savings ​bank.»

Linguist Deborah Tannen has used the term pragmatic homonymy (or ambiguity) to describe the phenomenon by which two speakers «use the same linguistic devices to achieve different ends» (Conversational Style, 2005). As Tom McArthur has noted, «There is an extensive gray area between the concepts of polysemy and homonymy» (Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language, 2005). 

Examples and Observations

«Homonyms are illustrated from the various meanings of the word bear (animal, carry) or ear (of body, of corn). In these examples, the identity covers both the spoken and written forms, but it is possible to have partial homonymy—or heteronymy—where the identity is within a single medium, as in homophony and homography. When there is ambiguity between homonyms (whether non-deliberate or contrived, as in riddles and puns), a homonymic clash or conflict is said to have occurred.»
(David Crystal. A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, 6th ed. Blackwell, 2008)

Peer and Peep

«Examples of homonymy are peer (‘person belonging to the same group in age and status’) and peer (‘look searchingly’), or peep (‘making a feeble shrill sound’) and peep (‘look cautiously’).»
(Sidney Greenbaum and Gerald Nelson, An Introduction to English Grammar, 3rd ed. Pearson, 2009)

Homonymy and Polysemy

«Homonymy and polysemy both involve one lexical form that is associated with multiple senses and as such both are possible sources of lexical ambiguity. But while homonyms are distinct lexemes that happen to share the same form, in polysemy a single lexeme is associated with multiple senses. The distinction between homonymy and polysemy is usually made on the basis of the relatedness of the senses: polysemy involves related senses, whereas the senses associated with homonymous lexemes are not related.» (M. Lynne Murphy and Anu Koskela, Key Terms in Semantics. Continuum 2010)

Two Words, Same Form

«Linguists have long distinguished between polysemy and homonymy (e.g., Lyons 1977: 22, 235). Usually, an account like the following is given. Homonymy obtains when two words accidentally have the same form, such as bank ‘land bordering on a river’ and bank ‘financial institution.’ Polysemy obtains where one word has several similar meanings, such as may indicating ‘permission’ (e.g., May I go now?) and may indicating possibility (e.g., It may never happen). Since it is not easy to say when two meanings are totally different or unrelated (as in homonymy) or when they are just a little different and related (as in polysemy), it has been customary to adduce additional, more easily decidable criteria.»

Dictionaries’ Distinction

«Dictionaries recognize the distinction between polysemy and homonymy by making a polysemous item a single dictionary entry and making homophonous lexemes two or more separate entries. Thus head is one entry and bank is entered twice. Producers of dictionaries often make a decision in this regard on the basis of etymology, which is not necessarily relevant, and in fact separate entries are necessary in some instances when two lexemes have a common origin. The form pupil, for instance, has two different senses, ‘part of the eye’ and ‘school child.’ Historically these have a common origin but at present they are semantically unrelated. Similarly, flower and flour were originally ‘the same word,’ and so were the verbs to poach (a way of cooking in water) and to poach ‘to hunt [animals] on another person’s land’), but the meanings are now far apart and all dictionaries treat them as homonyms, with separate listing. The distinction between homonymy and polysemy is not an easy one to make. Two lexemes are either identical in form or not, but relatedness of meaning is not a matter of yes or no; it is a matter of more or less.» (Charles W. Kreidler, Introducing English Semantics. Routledge, 1998)

No Clear Cut Homonymy

«The trouble is that, although helpful, these criteria are not totally compatible and do not go all the way. There are cases where we may think that the meanings are clearly distinct and that we therefore have homonymy, but which cannot be distinguished by the given linguistic formal criteria, e.g., charm may denote ‘a kind of interpersonal attraction’ and may also be used in physics denoting ‘a kind of physical energy.’ Not even the word bank, usually given in most textbooks as the archetypical example of homonymy, is clear-cut. Both the ‘financial bank’ and the ‘river bank’ meanings derive by a process of metonymy and metaphor, respectively from Old French banc ‘bench.’ Since bank in its two meanings belongs to the same part of speech and is not associated with two inflectional paradigms, the meanings of bank are not a case of homonymy by any of the above criteria…Traditional linguistic criteria for distinguishing homonymy from polysemy, although no doubt helpful, in the end turn out to be insufficient.»(Jens Allwood, «Meaning Potentials and Context: Some Consequences for the Analysis of Variation in Meaning.» Cognitive Approaches to Lexical Semantics, ed. by Hubert Cuyckens, René Dirven, and John R. Taylor. Walter de Gruyter, 2003)

Aristotle on Homonymy

«Those things are called homonymous of which the name alone is common, but the account of being corresponding to the name is different…Those things are called synonymous of which the name is common, and the account of being corresponding to the name is the same.»(Aristotle, Categories)

Astonishing Sweep

«The sweep of Aristotle’s application of homonymy is in some ways astonishing. He appeals to homonymy in virtually every area of his philosophy. Along with being and goodness, Aristotle also accepts (or at times accepts) the homonymy or multivocity of: life, oneness, cause, source or principle, nature, necessity, substance, the body, friendship, part, whole, priority, posteriority, genus, species, the state, justice, and many others. Indeed, he dedicates an entire book of the Metaphysics to a recording and partial sorting of the many ways core philosophical notions are said to be. His preoccupation with homonymy influences his approach to almost every subject of inquiry he considers, and it clearly structures the philosophical methodology that he employs both when criticizing others and when advancing his own positive theories.» (Christopher Shields, Order in Multiplicity: Homonymy in the Philosophy of Aristotle. Oxford University Press, 1999).