Homonyms

December 15, 2014

This post explores the nature

of homonyms as a word class. A definition and examples are
given before moving on to consider polysemy, homographs
and homophones, which are all part of the same word class
family.
 

Homonyms: what are they?

Pure homonyms are words that have the same spelling and pronunciation, but different meanings
(denotation). For example:

 You can sit on the bank (noun) of a river and you can visit a bank (noun) to pay your
bills.
 You might plant (verb) a tree and then buy some plants (noun) from the garden centre.
 You can have drive (adjective) or determination, and you can also drive (verb) to the
office.
 You can fish (verb) all afternoon, but may never catch a fish (noun).
 A cat will stalk (verb) its prey, while a stalk (noun) is also part of a flower which
connects it to the root.

Homonyms and Polysemy

Some words can be homonyms (identical spelling & pronunciation), and as their meanings are so
closely related we refer to this as polysemy. For example:

 The root of a tooth, the root of a tree and the root of a problem.
 The head or a person, the head of a stream and the head of a department.
  The mouth of an animal and the mouth of a river.
 The foot of a child, the foot of a chair and the foot of a mountain.
 The branch of a tree and the branch of a bank.

Homographs: what are they?

Homographs are words that have the same pronunciation, but different spellings and meanings.
For example:

 I need to go and buy two pints of milk.

 Their shoes are over there by the table.
 He wants a stable large enough for his four horses.
 Where should she go to buy a pair of new shoes to wear for the interview?
 Have you read that novel with the red cover?

Homophones: what are they?

Homophones are words that are have the same spelling, but different pronunciation and meaning.
For example:

 I read the Guardian newspaper every morning, but yesterday I read the Independent.
 He missed the train because the mist was too thick to drive to the station.
 He shouted aloud that the protest should be allowed.
 Cats often pause to clean their paws.
 It’s hard to say whether there will be any change in the weather.

Remember:

Term Meaning Spelling Pronunciation

Homonym Different Same Same
Homograph Different Different Same
Homophone Different Same Different
Polysemy Similar Same Same

Use of English, Word classhomograph, homonym, homonyms, homophone, polysemy

Examples of Homonyms
7th grade8th grade9th gradeMiddle SchoolHigh SchoolCollegeInfographics

image: http://www.yourdictionary.com/image/articles/20782.bark.jpg

Homonyms are two words that are spelled the same and sound the same, but have different
meanings. The word “homonym” comes from the prefix “homo,” which means the same, and the
suffix “-nym,” which means name. Therefore, a homonym is a word that has the same name as
another word, meaning that the two words look and sound exactly alike.

A simple example of a homonym is the word “pen.” This can mean both a holding area for
animals and a writing instrument. Another example is “book,” which can mean something to
read or the act of making a reservation. In both cases, the sound and spelling are the same, and
only the definition changes.

image:
http://www.yourdictionary.com/index.php/pdf/articles/pdfthumbs/93.antonymssynonymshomony
ms.jpg
View & Download PDF

Homophones, Homographs and Homonyms: What’s the

Difference?
These three terms are often confused, thanks to their identical prefixes. It’s the suffix that makes
all the difference in this case, though. Let’s take a closer look:

Homophones

Homophones are words that sound alike, thanks to that all-important suffix “-phone,” which
means sound. Homophones have the same sound but different meaning, and they are often
spelled differently. For example, consider the word “plate” and “plait.” A plate is a dish for
eating, but a plait is a special knot or twist, usually indicating something braided, like hair or
rope. Homophones may or may not be spelled the same, because the definition is really about the
sound.
Other examples:

 mat/matte
 two/too

Homographs

Homographs are words that are spelled the same, as indicated by the suffix “-graph,” which
means writing. Homographs have the same spelling but different meanings. For example, the
words “tear” and “tear.” Tear can mean drops of water from the eyes; on the other hand, it can
mean to rip paper into pieces. Either way, the spelling is the same. Homographs may or may not
have different pronunciations, because the definition is about the spelling and not the sound.
Other examples:

 bow (to bend at the waist)/bow (a piece of archery equipment)

 entrance (to hold one’s attention)/entrance (a doorway)

Homonyms

Homonyms have characteristics of both homophones and homographs. As we mentioned, they

are words that are spelled alike (like homographs) and sound alike (like homophones).
Homonyms are a special case, and they are best thought of as the center portion of a Venn
diagram that shows the overlap between homophones in one half and homographs in the other.
Other examples:

 bear (an animal)/bear (to withstand or hold up)

 can (a metal container)/can (able to)

More Examples of Homonyms

Here are a few more examples of homonym pairs:

 address (to speak to)/address (location)

 air (oxygen)/air (a lilting tune)
  band (a musical group)/band (a ring)
 bark (a tree’s out layer)/bark (the sound a dog makes)
 current (up to date)/current (flow of water)
 die (to cease living)/die (a cube marked with numbers one through six)
 fair (equitable)/fair (beautiful)
 kind (type)/kind (caring)
 lie (to recline)/lie (to tell a falsehood)
 match (to pair like items)/match (a stick for making a flame)
 mean (average)/mean (not nice)
 Pole (a person from Poland)/pole (a piece of metal that holds a flag)
 pound (unit of weight)/pound (to beat)
 ream (a pile of paper)/ream (to juice a citrus fruit)
 rose (to have gotten up)/rose (a flower)
 spring (a season)/spring (coiled metal)
 tender (gentle)/tender (to pay money)
 tire (to grow fatigued)/tire (part of a wheel)

The Trouble With Homonyms

While homophones are likely to get you in trouble when it comes to spelling — as anyone who’s
ever mixed up “accept” and “except” can attest — homonyms are more of an issue when you’re
quickly skimming something. For example, if you aren’t paying attention to context clues,
reading a story about a king who wants air can be confusing for a moment. Is he in danger of
suffocating, or is he asking a minstrel to sing a song? Fortunately, context clues clear up any
confusion for most readers within moments, and comprehension is not an issue. Homonyms can
be more confusing for young readers or people learning English as a second language, usually
because they aren’t yet familiar with alternate definitions of the word.

The bottom line about homonyms? If you ever come across a word that just doesn’t seem to
make sense in its context, check for alternate definitions. You may just have a homonym on your
hands, and you’ll feel much smarter when you learn the secondary meaning of one of these
tricky quirks of the English language.

Read more at http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-

homonyms.html#fYk8FCZaCd5ti32U.99
 Homonym

Homonym is 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").

In linguistics, a homonym is, in the strict sense, one of a group of

words that share spelling and pronunciation but may have different
meanings. Thus homonyms are simultaneously homographs (words that
share the same spelling, regardless of their pronunciation) and homophones
(words that share the same pronunciation, regardless of their spelling). The
state of being a homonym is called homonymy. Examples of homonyms are
the pair stalk (part of a plant) and stalk (follow/harass a person) and the pair
left (past tense of leave) and left (opposite of right). A distinction is
sometimes made between "true" homonyms, which are unrelated in origin,
such as skate (glide on ice) and skate (the fish), and polysemous homonyms,
or polysemes, which have a shared origin, such as mouth (of a river) and
mouth (of an animal).
In non-technical contexts, the term "homonym" may be used
(somewhat confusingly) to refer to words that are either homographs or
homophones.[1] In this looser sense, the word row (propel with oars) and row
(argument) are considered homonyms, as are the words read (peruse) and
reed (waterside plant).
The word homonym comes from the Greek ὁμώνυμος (homonumos),
meaning "having the same name", which is the conjunction of ὁμός (homos),
"common, same" and ὄνομα (onoma) meaning "name". Thus, it refers to two
or more distinct concepts sharing the "same name" or signifier. Note: for the
h sound, see rough breathing and smooth breathing.

Related terms

Pronunciatio
Term Meaning Spelling
n
Homonym Different Same Same
Homograp Same or
Different Same
h different
Homopho Same or
Different Same
ne different
Heterony
Different Same Different
m
Heterogra
Different Different Same
ph
Different but Same or
Polyseme Same
related different
Same except
Capitony Different when Same or
for
m capitalized different
capitalization
Synonym Same Different Different
Venn diagram showing the relationships between homonyms (between
blue and green) and related linguistic concepts
Several similar linguistic concepts are related to homonymy. These include:

 Homographs (literally "same writing") are usually defined as words that

share the same spelling, regardless of how they are pronounced. [note 1] If
they are pronounced the same then they are also homophones (and
homonyms) – for example, bark (the sound of a dog) and bark (the skin
of a tree). If they are pronounced differently then they are also
heteronyms – for example, bow (the front of a ship) and bow (a ranged
weapon).
  Homophones (literally "same sound") are usually defined as words that
share the same pronunciation, regardless of how they are spelled. [note 2]
If they are spelled the same then they are also homographs (and
homonyms); if they are spelled differently then they are also
heterographs (literally "different writing"). Homographic examples
include rose (flower) and rose (past tense of rise). Heterographic
examples include to, too, two, and there, their, they’re.

 Heteronyms (literally "different name") are the subset of homographs

(words that share the same spelling) that have different pronunciations
(and meanings).[note 3]
Such words include desert (to abandon) and
desert (arid region); tear (to rip) and tear (a drop of moisture formed in
the eye); row (to argue or an argument) and row (as in to row a boat or
a row of seats - a pair of homophones). Heteronyms are also
sometimes called heterophones (literally "different sound").

 Polysemes are words with the same spelling and distinct but related
meanings. The distinction between polysemy and homonymy is often
subtle and subjective, and not all sources consider polysemous words
to be homonyms. Words such as mouth, meaning either the orifice on
one's face, or the opening of a cave or river, are polysemous and may
or may not be considered homonyms.

 Capitonyms are words that share the same spelling but have different
meanings when capitalized (and may or may not have different
pronunciations). Such words include polish (to make shiny) and Polish
(from Poland); march (organized, uniformed, steady and rhythmic
walking forward) and March (the third month of the year in the
Gregorian Calendar). However, both polish or march at the beginning
of sentences still need to be capitalized.

Further examples
A further example of a homonym, which is both a homophone and a
homograph, is fluke. Fluke can mean:

 A fish, and a flatworm.

 The end parts of an anchor.
 The fins on a whale's tail.
 A stroke of luck.

All four are separate lexemes with separate etymologies, but share the one
form, fluke. Similarly, a river bank, a savings bank, a bank of switches, and a
bank shot in pool share a common spelling and pronunciation, but differ in
meaning.
The words bow and bough are examples where there are two meanings
associated with a single pronunciation and spelling (the weapon and the
knot); two meanings with two different pronunciations (the knot and the act
of bending at the waist), and two distinct meanings sharing the same sound
but different spellings (bow, the act of bending at the waist, and bough, the
branch of a tree). In addition, it has several related but distinct meanings – a
bent line is sometimes called a 'bowed' line, reflecting its similarity to the
weapon. Even according to the most restrictive definitions, various pairs of
sounds and meanings of bow, Bow and bough are homonyms, homographs,
homophones, heteronyms, heterographs, capitonyms and are polysemous.

 bow – a long wooden stick with horse hair that is used to play certain
string instruments such as the violin
 bow – to bend forward at the waist in respect (e.g. "bow down")
 bow – the front of the ship (e.g. "bow and stern")
 bow – a kind of tied ribbon (e.g. bow on a present, a bowtie)
 bow – to bend outward at the sides (e.g. a "bow-legged" cowboy)
 Bow – a district in London
 bow -- a weapon to shoot projectiles with (e.g. a bow and arrow)
  bough – a branch on a tree. (e.g. "when the bough breaks...")

Further explanation about Homonyms, Homophones, & Homographs

Homonyms, Homophones, & Homographs

except - other
accept - take in
than
ad - add - join,
advertisement combine
advise -
advice - guidance
recommend
aid - assist, aide - one who
assistance gives assistance
ail - to suffer poor
ale - a beverage
health
heir - one who
air - atmosphere
inherits property
I'll - contraction of
aisle - a passage isle - island
I will
allusion - an illusion - false
indirect reference appearance
altar - table in a
alter - to change
church
ate - past tense eight - the
of eat number 8
bail - to clear bail - release of a bale - a large
water prisoner bundle
band - a ring,
banned –
something that band - a group
prohibited
binds
bear - large bear -
bare - uncovered
animal support, yield
 bases - four
bases - starting basis - a
stations on a
points basic principle
baseball field
beat - to strike, beet - a plant
beat - exhausted
overcome with red roots
blew - past tense
blue - the color
of blow
bread - baked
bred - produced
food item
bye –
buy - purchase by - near, through
goodbye

The existence of sasak language in facing global world

Sasak language is one of Nusantara language groups that the origin of

sanskerta or kawi. The next development were influenced by melayu
language, china language and Arabic. The sasak language is Neo Sanskrit as
modern as France and German. In German language or France are known
common form and respect form. Also, in sasak language there is a palace
language. A palace language can be found in married tradition. Sasak
language include in the top ten of having many speakers in Nusantara, that
is, about two billion speakers. In fact, sasak language is a mother tongue of
people who lives in Lombok Island in which often called as a ancestor
language. It indicates that sasak language must be developed even though
this world is global, however, seldom do we hear sasak language used right
now. This problems are caused by some following factors.

One of the factors is the resident of region in downtown do not teach

children sasak language as a mother tongue but parents more emphasize of
national language. Moreover, giving priority to foreign language in which
with it claimed to speak global language in daily life. For instance, the word
inaq, amaq, and inaq rari will not be heard again, it will be a strange one
because that words would be replaced with mama, papa, dad, and tante
which they think that it is more elegant than sasak language. Mastering a
foreign language is a must without neglecting a mother tongue, that is,
sasak language a region language. If this habitual will be continuous, will the
next generation know sasak language?. Moreover, sasak language only In
memoriam because the speakers have ignored it. Also, we will not wonder if
person cannot speak sasak language even though they have been living for
5 years in Lombok. It is caused by an assumption that sasak language is not
really important to be developed. The way forward must teach children sasak
language as the first language in communicating in daily life.
Another factors is using of national language in informal place. For
example, when sasak people meet with the same region, they are lazy to
speak sasak language. Moreover, they are ashamed, especially for students.
Students must be a pioneer for maintaining region identity, however,
students become a pioneer in abolishing sasak language. This problem could
be addressed by using sasak language in informal place such as in outside of
class, in meeting with region organization have to use sasak language not
national language.
Finally, another factors is the low of speaker awareness. When people
speak sasak language, the other speakers ridicule each other without
innocence. It makes the speakers do not want to dig sasak language deeper.
Thus, if sasak language will be lost later, do not blame another one but
blame yourself who do not care with sasak language developing. As a result,
it will reduce the number of speakers of sasak language. To solve this
problem, the community of sasak should support each other in
communicating sasak language in daily life without insulting people who
speak with sasak language and learn more about it. If you do not do it.
Hence, who will do it?
To sum up, although it is clear that the existence of sasak language is
very important but if speakers do the factors which can reduce the number
of speakers of sasak language continuously, it will make sasak language will
be lost, however, if sasak people realize that how important the existence of
sasak language right now, they should learn sasak language deeper and
improve their communication using sasak language in local context,
otherwise national language should be used as a national language in formal
and legal context and foreign language used when communicating with other
countries. Therefore, sasak language will not be lost if the speakers do it
well. Then, sasak language will be more develop in the future.

Reference

Mahsun. 2012. Bahasa Sasak Menjadi Lingufranca

Homonim menurut Kamus Besar bahasa Indonesia ( KKBI ) adalah sebuah kata yang memiliki
ejaan ( tulisan ) dan lafal ( pengucapan ) yang yang sama tetapi memiliki makna yang
berbeda. Perbedaan makna ini karena kata tersebut berasal dari sumber yang berlainan.
Homonim berasal dari Bahasa Inggris ” homonym “. Homo berarti “sama” dan Nym berarti ”
nama “. Ada beberapa kata yang termasuk dalam katagori kata homonim. Berikut ini akan mimin
berikan 7 contoh kata homonim sekaligus contoh penggunaan nya dalam kalimat.

 Contoh Kata Homonim & Artinya

1. Rapat ( Pertemuan & Berdekatan )

2. Bisa ( Racun & Dapat )
3. Genting ( Atap & Gawat )
4. Malang ( Nasib & Kota )
5. Hak ( Bagian Sepatu & Milik )
6. Buku ( Ruas & Kertas )
7. Muka ( Wajah & Depan )
8. Beruang (Hewan & Banyak uang)
9. Jarum (Benda tajam & Rokok)
10. Kali (Sungai & Berlipat)
11. Selang (Waktu & Saluran air)
12. Jarak (Antara & Jenis tumbuhan)
13. Hati (Perasaan & Organ tubuh)
14. Palu (Alat bangunan & Kota)
15. Padang (Terang & Kota)
16. Gelar (Pangkat & DIselenggarakan)
17. Bulan (Satelit & Bagian dari tahun)
18. Alas (Dasar & Hutan)
19. Salam (Bumbu Masakan & Ucapan)
20. Layar (Tampilan & Bagian dari perahu tradisional)
21. Training (Latihan & Celana Panjang)
22. Komplek (Perumahan & Rumit)
23. Garing (Kering & Tidak lucu)
24. Busa (Gelembung dari air & Bahan Kasur)
25. Semi (Tumbuh kembali & hampir/setengah)
26. Kursi (Jabatan & Tempat duduk)
27. Rubah (Diganti & Hewan)
28. Jago (Hewan & Terampil)
29. Tikung (Berbelok  arah & Dihianati)
30. Cokelat (Warna & Buah)
31. Lega (Perasaan puas & Luas)
32. Jatuh (Tiba & Dari atas ke bawah)
33. Jangka (alat ukur & Selang waktu)
34. Masker (Perawatan kulit & Penyaring udara kotor)
35. Gigi (Alat pengunyah makanan & Sebuah band)
 7 Contoh Kalimat Homonim

Berikut ini 7 contoh penggunaan kata kata homonim tadi dalam kalimat :

1. Rapat ( Meeting , Pertemuan ) – Rapat ( Berdekatan )

Para peserta rapat bulanan karang taruna desa gayamsari itu duduk rapat di kursi
panjang yang terbuat dari kayu jati.
2. Bisa ( racun ) – Bisa ( dapat )
Bisa ular king cobra itu bisa membunuh orang setiap yang terkena gigitannya.
3. Genting ( Atap ) – Genting ( Gawat )
Suasana di sekitar rumah besar dengan genting merah itu sedang genting sekali karena
perang yang tak kunjung usai.
4. Malang ( Nasib ) – Malang ( Kota )
Malang sekali diriku ini menjadi salah satu jomblo ngenes di kota Malang yang dingin
ini.
5. Hak ( Bagian Sepatu ) – Hak ( Milik )
Hak sepatu merah wanita itu patah saat menuruni tangga selepas memberikan sambutan
pada pertemuan hak asasi manusia di Bandung.
6. Buku ( Ruas ) – Buku ( Kertas )
Aneka kerajinan dari buku bambu ini aku pelajari dari buku yang kupinjam dari
perpustakaan sekolah.
7. Muka ( Wajah ) – Muka ( Depan )
Muka mbak Dewi memerah karena malu saat berpidato di muka umum untuk pertama
kalinya.
8. Beruang (Banyak uang – Hewan)
Para pengusaha yang beruang tidak segan-segan membeli hewan langka seperti beruang
untuk di pelihara.
9. Bango (Burung & Merk kecap)
Sembari melihat sekumpulan burung bango di ladang, Rudi disuruh ibunya membeli
kecap bango di warung.
10. Kali (Sungai & Berlipat)
Agus menyeberang kali memakai sampan, dan hampir beberapa kali ia tegelincir.
11. Selang (Rentang waktu & Saluran air)
Beberapa waktu lalu ayah telah membeli 5 selang sebagai saluran air di rumah, selang
beberapa hari, selang tersebut sudah bocor kembali.
12. Jarak (Antara & Jenis Tumbuhan)
Jarak antara rumah Andi dan Romy di pisahkan oleh beberapa tumbuhan liar seperti
jarak, dan mahoni.
13. Hati (Organ tubuh & Perasaan)
Hati merupakan organ vital di dalam tubuh manusia, sebagaimana hati manusia yang
dapat merasakan kesedihan serta kebahagiaan.
14. Palu (Alat bangunan & Kota)
Pak tukang membeli palu di kota Palu.
15. Padang (Terang & Kota)
Keindahan kota Padang terlihat lebih padang jika di lihat dari atas menara.
16. Gelar (Pangkat & DIselenggarakan)
Di Jakarta hari ini di gelar Pesta Olah raga Nasional untuk menentukan siapa yang
berhak membawa gelar juara.
17. Bulan (Satelit & Bagian dari tahun)
Pada bulanulan agustus, bulan akan terlihat sangat terang karena tidak ada mendung yang
mengahalanginya.
18. Alas (Dasar & Hutan)
Kita harus menggunakan alas kaki sebelum kita memaasuki hutan (alas) yang sangat
lebat.
19. Salam (Bumbu Masakan & Ucapan)
Salam adalah salah satu bumbu masakan yang sangat khas, sementara salam adalah
sapaan orang-orang keteika mereka saling bertemu atau saling berhadapan.
20. Layar (Tampilan & Bagian dari perahu tradisional)
Layar yang terdapat di peragu tradisional merupakan bagian yang tak terpisahkan dari
sebuah prahu, begitupun layar pada HP Android yang merupakan bagian vital dari
sebuah smartphone.
21. Training (Latihan & Celana Panjang)
Ketika menjalani training tentang pelatihan mengemudi, kami diwajibkan untuk
memakai celana training.
22. Kompleks (Perumahan & Rumit)
Menyusuri jalanan kompleks perumahan daerah memang sangat membingungkan, hal ini
dikarenakan jalanan yang ada begitu kompleks dan banyak tikungan.
23. Garing (Kering & Tidak lucu)
Sambil makan kerupuk yang garing, ada salah satu teman yang melontarkan lelucon
namun terkesan garing karena tidak ada yang tertawa
24. Busa (Gelembung dari air & Bahan Kasur)
Busa yang terdapat di dalam kasur akan mengeluarkan banyak busa ketika sedang di cuci.
25. Semi (Tumbuh kembali & hampir/setengah)
Tumbuhan jati telah kembali semi ketika musim menginjak semi penghujan.
26. Kursi (Jabatan & Tempat duduk)
Para pejabat negara berebut kursi jabatan, seperti halnya murid TK yang berebut kursi
tempat duduk.
27. Rubah (Diganti & Hewan)
Rubah sekarang sudah hampir punah, karena sudah banyak habitatnya yang dirubah.
28. Jago (Hewan & Terampil)
Dia sangat jago memperagakan ilmu silatnya, seperti ayam jago yang pandai bertarung.
29. Tikung (Berbelok  arah & Dihianati)
Jalan yang banyak tikungan memang sangat menyebalkan, seperti hal nya jika kita
ditikung teman sendiri.
30. Cokelat (Warna & Buah)
Buah cokelat memang nikmat, apalagi jika buahnya sudah berwarna coklat ketuaan.
31. Lega (Perasaan puas & Luas)
Saya sudah sangat lega dapat berkunjung di stadion paling lega di Indonesia, yaitu
stadion Bung Karno.
32. Jatuh (Dari atas ke bawah & Tiba)
-Bulan puasa jatuh pada pertengahan bulan Agustus.
-Pak Bambang jatuh dari pohon mangga
33. Jangka (alat ukur & Selang waktu)
Dia pergi berpamitan untuk membeli jangka untuk mengerjakan PR Matematikanya,
dalam jangka waktu beberapa lama, ia tak juga kembali.
34. Masker (Perawatan kulit & Penyaring udara kotor)
_Dia memakai masker untuk perawatan kulitnya.
-Dia memakai masker untuk menyaring udara kotor.
35. Gigi (Alat pengunyah makanan & Sebuah band)
-Pak Tono sudah lama menderita sakit gigi.
-Sebuah band ibu kota yang bernama Gigi akan mengguncang Semarang malam ini.