DEFINITION OF HOMONYMS

Two or more words that have the same sound or spelling but
differ in meaning . Adjectives: homonymic and homonymous.
Generally, the term homonym refers both to
homophones (words that are pronounced the same but have
different meanings, such as pair and pear) and
to homographs (words that are spelled the same but have
different meanings, such as "bow your head" and "tied in
a bow").
Note that some dictionaries and textbooks define and
distinguish these three terms in different ways. Some equate
homonyms only with homophones (words that sound the
same). Others equate homonymns only with homographs
(words that look the same). See the observations by Tom
McArthur and David Rothwell, below. Also see Homophones
and Homographs: An American Dictionary, 4th ed., by
James B. Hobbs (McFarland & Company, 2006).

"A case of homonymy is one of an ambiguous word whose

different senses are far apart from each other and not
obviously related to each other in any way with respect to
a native speaker's intuition. Cases of homonymy seem very
definitely to be matters of mere accident or coincidence."

From the Greek, "same name"