HOMONYMS

What are homonyms?

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.

This list of frequently-used homonyms below, with examples of their use,
is designed to help English learners.

HOMONYMS
Word	Homograph (same spelling)	Homophone (same sound)	Example
air		heir	I'm going out for some fresh air; George is the heir to the throne.
allowed		aloud	Children are not allowed in the casino. Could you read the letter aloud please?
ate		eight	The littlel 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		quay	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.
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.
role		roll	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 my coat, 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.
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.