Lesson 40

Homonyms

Homonyms, Homophones and Homographs are some of the most interesting words in
the English language. They give creativity to the language and enable the user to
make puns and witty statements by playing with words.

Homonym:
One of two or more words spelled and pronounced alike but different in meaning.

Produce - to manufacture from components or raw materials

Produce - things that have been grown or made in a farm such as vegetables, fruit and
dairy

Homophone:
One of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or spelling.

To - preposition expressing motion in the direction of

Too - also, very
Two - the number that follows one

Homograph:
One of two or more words spelled alike but different in meaning or pronunciation.

Bow - a knot tied with two loops and two loose ends, used for tying shoelaces and
decorative ribbons
Bow - a weapon that fires arrows
Bow - an act of bending the head or upper body as a sign of respect or greeting
Bow - the front end of a ship

Though these words are linguistically separated into three distinct groups, most
English teachers loosely call all the groups Homonyms. Most humorists, poets, writers
and songwriters frequently use Homonyms to enrich their creative writing. In order to
enrich your English language skills and to better understand written prose, it is useful
to know some basic Homonyms and their uses.

B1 Threshold | Homonyms
Here is a fairly comprehensive list of Homonyms in the English language.

ad/add ate/eight bear/bare

allowed/aloud ball/bawl be/bee
ant/aunt band/banned billed/build
blew/blue flower/flour load/lode/lowed
board/bored for/four/fore loan/lone
boy/buoy forth/fourth locks/lox
brake/break foul/fowl loot/lute
by/bye/buy frees/freeze maid/made
beach/beech gneiss/nice mail/male
bolder/boulder gnu/knew/new maize/maze
bread/bred gored/gourd meet/meat
brouse/brows gorilla/guerrilla medal/meddle
capital/capitol grays/graze mince/mints
caret/carrot/carat/karat grate/great miner/minor
cell/sell guessed/guest missed/mist
cent/scent/sent gym/Jim mooed/mood
census/senses hale/hail morning/mourning
cereal/serial hall/haul muscle/mussel
chews/choose hare/hair mussed/must
choral/coral heal/heel/he'll nays/neighs
chute/shoot heard/herd no/know
clothes/close hew/hue none/nun
colonel/kernel hi/high nose/knows/no's
creak/creek higher/hire not/knot/naught
crews/cruise him/hymm one/won
cymbal/symbol hair/hare or/oar/ore
days/daze hoarse/horse overdo/overdue
dear/deer hole/whole paced/paste
dew/do/due hour/our pail/pale
die/dye idle/idol pain/pane
disc/disk idle/idol/idyl pair/pare/pear
discreet/discrete in/inn pain/pane
discussed/disgust incite/insight passed/past

B1 Threshold | Homonyms
doe/dough its/it's patience/patients
doughs/doze jam/jamb pause/paws
earn/urn jeans/genes peace/piece
ewe/you knead/need/kneed peak/peek/pique
eye/I knight/night peal/peel
fare/fair knows/nose/no's pedal/peddle
feat/feet lead/led peer/pier
find/fined leased/least pi/pie
fir/fur lessen/lesson plain/plane
flea/flee lie/lye plum/plumb
flew/flu/flue links/lynx praise/prays/preys
presence/presents sign/sine use/ewes
principal/principle sight/site/cite vein/vane
prince/prints slay/sleigh verses/versus
quarts/quartz soar/sore vial/vile
quince/quints soared/sword vice/vise
rain/reign/rein sole/soul wade/weighed
raise/rays/raze son/sun wail/whale
rap/wrap some/sum waist/waste
read/reed spade/spayed wait/weight
read/red staid/stayed waive/wave
real/reel stair/stare Wales/whales
reek/wreak stake/steak war/wore
rest/wrest stationary/stationery ware/wear/where
review/revue steal/steel warn/worn
right/rite/write straight/strait wax/whacks
ring/wring suede/swayed way/weigh/whey
road/rode/rowed summary/summery we/wee
roe/row sundae/Sunday weather/whether
role/roll tacks/tax we'd/weed
root/route tail/tale weld/welled
rose/rows taut/taught we'll/wheel
rote/wrote tea/tee wen/when
roux/rue teas/tease/tees we've/weave
rye/wry tents/tense weak/week
sacks/sax tern/turn which/witch
sail/sale there/their/they're whirled/world
sawed/sod threw/through whirred/word
scene/seen throne/thrown whine/wine

B1 Threshold | Homonyms
sea/see thyme/time whoa/woe
seam/seem tide/tied who's/whose
seas/sees/seize tighten/titan wood/would
serf/surf to/too/two worst/wurst
serge/surge toad/toed/towed yoke/yolk
sew/so/sow toe/tow you'll/yule
shoe/shoo told/tolled your/you're/yore
side/sighed tracked/tract
sighs/size trussed/trust

B1 Threshold | Homonyms