A homonym is one of a group of words that share the same spelling and
the
same pronunciation but have different meanings. A few examples are listed below.
bank a
noun meaning an institution offering financial services, such as the safekeeping of money and lending of
money, as in I have opened a savings account
at the bank.
bank a
noun meaning a long raised mass, a hill or a slope and especially the sloping sides of a river, as in We walked for miles along the banks of the
river.
bill a
noun meaning a written statement of money owed, as in You must pay the telephone
bill immediately.
bill a noun meaning a bird’s beak,
as in The seagull has injured its bill.
fair an
adjective meaning attractive, as in fair young women; light in colour, as in She
has fair hair; fine, not raining, as in I
hope it keeps fair; just, free from prejudice, as in We felt that the referee came to a fair decision.
fair a
noun which formerly meant a market held regularly in the same place, often with stalls, entertainments and
rides but now referring more to an event with entertainments and rides without
the market, as in He won a coconut at the
fair; a trade exhibition, as in the Frankfurt Book Fair.
pulse a
noun meaning the throbbing caused by the contractions of the heart, as in The
patient has a weak pulse.
pulse a
noun meaning the edible seeds of any of various crops of the pea family, such as lentils, peas and beans, as in
Vegetarians eat a lot of food made with
pulses.
row a
verb, pronounced to rhyme with low,
meaning to propel a boat by means of
oars, as in He plans to row across the
Atlantic single-handed.
row a
noun, pronounced to rhyme with low,
meaning a number of people or things
arranged in a line, as in We tried to get
into the front row to watch the procession.
trip a noun meaning a tour, journey or a voyage, as
in I had a wonderful time
trip a verb meaning to stumble or
fall over something, as in I tripped over a fallen branch in the wood
and twisted my ankle.
