English Vocabulary for learners

HOMONYMS- HOMOGRAPHS - HOMOPHONES

Words with same spelling or pronunciation, but different meanings.

What are Homonyms?

Homonyms are words that have either the same spelling or the same pronunciation, but different meanings.

Homonyms include two sub categories: Homographs and Homophones.
- Homographs are words with the same spelling but a different meaning.
- Homophones are words with the same sound but have different meanings.

Some homonyms can be both a homograph (e.g. plain/plain) and a homophone (e.g. plain/plane).

Note:
A capitonym is a form of homonym where the meaning changes when the word begins with a capital letter:
-The word 'august' means a respected or important person whereas 'August' is a month of the year.
-We eat 'turkey' at Christmas. 'Turkey'is the name of a country.

WORD	HOMONYM		EXAMPLE of USE
	HOMOGRAPH (same spelling) (graph=written)	HOMOPHONE (same sound) (phone=sound)
air		heir	- I'm going out for some fresh air. - George is the heir to the throne.
aloud		allowed	- Children are not allowed in the casino. - Could you read the letter aloud please?
ate		eight	- The little boy ate all the biscuits. - There were eight biscuits on the plate.
band	band		- Keep them together with a rubber band. - A band of thieves arrived in the area.
bank	bank		- My salary is paid into my bank account. - I often walk along the bank of the river.
bare		bear	- The floor was bare, with not even a rug. - Polar bears can be found in the Arctic Circle.
bark	bark		- Some dogs bark a lot. - Cork comes from the bark of a tree.
bat	bat		- You need a bat to play baseball. - A bat flies at night.
bread		bred	- We need bread to make sandwiches. - Charles was born and bred in England.
bow		bough	- The actors bowed to the audience. - A bough of the tree nearly touched the ground.
cell	cell	sell	- The human body is composed of millions of cells. - The prisoner was kept in a cell. - The shop sells fruit and vegetables.
cent		sent scent	- There are 100 cents in a dollar. - His mother sent him to buy the newspaper. - Do you like the scent of lavender?
cereal		serial	- Alex has cereal for breakfast. - Serials are popular on TV.
close	close		- Close the door please. - The cinema is close to the church.
coarse		course	- He wore a coarse woollen jacket. - She is taking a course in Chinese.
dear		deer	- Dear Mr. Brown. - The female deer is called a doe.
die		dye	- It's very sad to die young. - I'm going to dye my hair red.
eight		ate	- Eight is the double of four. - He ate everything on his plate.
fair	fair	fare	- Our teacher is fair. She treats us all equally. - The weather was quite fair all week. - How much is the bus fare?
fan	fan		- Did the Rolling Stones have many fans? - It's so hot! Please turn on the fan.
fine	fine		- My grandmother is feeling fine today. - Jack got a fine for illegal parking.
flea		flee	- Cats and dogs often get fleas. - Hundreds of refugees are trying to flee the country.
flower		flour	- My mother has a variety of flowers in her garden. - Flour is used to make cakes and pastries.
great		grate	- Tom! It's great to see you! - Grate cheese over the dish, then put it in the oven.
ground	ground		- Julie loves the smell of ground coffee. - The boy fell on the ground and hurt his knee.
hair		hare	- She keeps her hair shoulder-length. - A hare is a bit like a rabbit with longer ears.
hall		haul	- Let's meet in the entrance hall in 30 mins. - I had to haul my suitcase up 3 flights of stairs!
hangar		hanger	- Each plane is in a separate hangar. - Here's a hanger to hang up your coat.
heal		heel	- His wounds took quite some time to heal. - I can't walk in high heels!
hear		here	- Did you hear what I said? - Come here and look at this photograph!
hole		whole	- The old man's sweater was full of holes. - Alex ate the whole bar of chocolate!
key		quai	- I'd open the door if I had the key. - A crowd on the quay waited for the boat to arrive
knight		night	- The Knights of the Round Table. - They worked day and night to finish the project.
know		no	- "Do you know that man?" - "No, I don't."
lie	lie		- "Don't lie to me. Tell me the truth!" - "I'm going to lie down and have a rest."
mail		male	- The contract will be sent by mail. - Human beings are either male or female.
mean	mean		- What does 'homonym' mean? - He's wealthy but mean; he won't make a donation.
meat		meet	- Meat is an excellent source of protein. - I suggest we meet at 12.30 for lunch tomorrow.
none		nun	- We've eaten all the apples. There are none left. - A nun takes religious vows and lives in a convent.
one		won	- You can have one sweet only. - Jack won the tennis match last week.
pail		pale	- She used a pail of water to wash the dishes. - "You look a bit pale. Are you feeling ok?"
pair		pear	- "I need a pair of scissors to cut the thread." - In the fruit bowl there were apples and pears.
peace		piece	- After years of civil war the people wanted peace. - "Would you like a piece of chocolate?"
plain	plain	plane	- She looked elegant in a plain simple dress. - His disapproval was plain to see. - The plane to London left at 3 p.m.
pupil	pupil		- The teacher reminded the pupils to arrive on time. - The pupil is in the centre of the iris of the eye.
race	race		- "Which horse won the race on Saturday?" - People of all races can live in harmony here.
rain		rein reign	- Heavy rain caused flooding in the area. - A rider uses reins to control his horse. - How long did Queen Victoria reign ?
read		reed	- He finds it difficult to read without his glasses. - Reeds are grass-like plants that grow near the water.
right		write	- "That's right. Your answer is correct!" - "I'm going to write a letter of application for the job."
ring	ring		- The young couple exchanged wedding rings. - The children sat in a ring around the teacher. - The church bells ring for the morning service.
roll		role	- George Clooney played the main role in the film. - They bought 3 rolls of wallpaper. - Don't let the ball roll across the road.
root		route	- The root of a plant is in the soil. - They looked for the straightest route home.
row	row		- We got seats in the front row. - Julie is not happy; she had a row with her boyfriend.
sail		sale	- Jack got in his boat to sail across the bay. - The salesman gets a commission on each sale.
sea		see	- Dolphins live in the sea. - Look! Can you see the dolphins?
sew	sow		- A button fell off, so I had to sew it back on. - Every spring he sows flower seeds in his garden.
sight	site		- My grandfather can't see well. His sight is failing. - The town authorities have bought a site for a school.
soar		sore	- The seagull soared high above the water. - My arm is fine, but my leg is still sore where I have stitches.
sole	sole	soul	- There were holes in the soles of his shoes. - He was the sole survivor of the plane crash. - Christians believe that the soul exists after death.
some		sum	- Some people fine English difficult, others find it easy. - The sum of 2 and 2 is 4.
son		sun	- Their son is called Tom; their daughter is called Eva. - People wear suncream when they lie in the sun.
stair		stare	- Stairs lead from one floor to another. - It's very rude to stare at other people.
stake	stake	steak	- A strong wooden stick can be called a stake. - Drive carefully; your life is at stake. - His favourite meal is steak and chips.
steal		steel	- It's dishonest to steal. You must give that back! - Steel is used to make vehicles and machinery.
suite		sweet	- A set of rooms in a hotel is called a suite. - Sugar has a sweet taste.
tail		tale	- Cats and dogs have tails. - Children love listening to fairy tales.
tear	tear		- The story was so sad a tear rolled down her cheek. - Be careful not to tear the newspaper
tip	tip		- He gave the waiter a tip. - Do you need some advice? I can give you a tip.
toast	toast		- I usually have tea and toast for breakfast. - Guests raise their glasses to toast the bridal couple.
toe		tow	- Each foot has five toes. - The police will tow your car away if you park there.
vain	vain	vein	- She's a vain person who has a high opinion of herself. - Our efforts were in vain; the project failed. - Veins in the body carry blood to the heart.
waist		waste	- She wore a red belt around her waist. - Turn off the tap. We mustn't waste water.
wait		weight	- I had to wait 10 minutes for the bus. - If you eat too much you'll put on weight.
way		weigh	- Can you tell me the way to the station please? - That looks heavy. How much does it weigh?
weak		week	- My mother still feels weak after her illness. -There are seven days in a week.
which		witch	- Which do you prefer, the blue one or the green one? - In fairy stories a witch has evil powers
wind	wind		- We can't go windsurfing if there's no wind. - I'm going to wind a bandage around your arm.
wound	wound		- I wound up the old alarm clock and got into bed. - Several bullet wounds were found on his body.

See also: synonyms Ι antonyms Ι comparative table

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