As a creative writer, one way to spice up your dialogue is to play with homographs.
What are homographs? How are they used? Can you give me some examples?
Easy with the questions, we have a comprehensive explanation that will answer them all.
Stay with me as we discuss this in detail.
What is a Homograph?
Homographs are words that have the same spelling but different meanings. They may or may not have the same pronunciation.
Some may also have different sound as well as their pronunciation.
The words are Greek words; homo means the same and graph means writing.
Basically, homographs are words written and spelled the same way.
41+ Homographs Examples for Writers
Homographs with Different Pronunciations
This category has words with the same spelling, different pronunciations, and meanings.
They include the following;
Lead: a soft, heavy metal and to head up.
Attribute: characteristic / to give credit
Console: cabinet / to comfort.
Content: satisfied / material contained.
Entrance: way to enter / to enchant.
minute: sixty seconds / very small.
object: item / to protest.
Saw – a sharp tool used for cutting hard materials or past tense for the word “see”.
Pen – an object which is used for writing or a small area in which animals are kept.
Polish: from Poland / to make smooth and shiny.
present: gift / to show.
Produce: fruit and vegetables or to bring into existence.
subject: topic or to bring under control of something.
May – you might do something or the month of May.
Wind: movement of air or to turn something around something else.
Wound: injury that breaks the skin or past tense of wind.
Can: able to or metal container.
READ ALSO: When to Use Italics: When and Why to Use Italics
Homographs with the same Pronunciation
Close: nearby and to shut
Tear: a drop of fluid from the eye / to rip.
Train – a mode of transport or to coach somebody.
Skip – a fanciful jump or to miss out on something.
Close – to be near something or to shut.
Bat: flying mammal or sports equipment.
Pen: writing instrument or small area to keep animals.
Blue: color or depressed feeling.
Crane: bird or machine used in construction.
Tear – to rip something or the liquid that flows from the eyes when crying.
Type – the way you use a keyboard or a specific class of something.
Miss: overlook something or long for something.
Park: play area or to bring the vehicle to a stop.
Watch: to view or object that tells time.
May: month or might.
Examples of Sentences with Homographs
Here are some examples you can make with homographs:
The ingredient was popular at the fair as customers loved it.
It’s only fair that we left at his request.
Can you see that the word fair is the homograph here?
The class was so excited to take the train to see the football game.
I need to train to become more skilled in writing.
In this example, the train is the homograph.
Our teacher is called Miss. Victory.
It was the second time she had to miss the cooking class this week.
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What is the difference between Homograph, Homonym, and Homophone?
We’ve already seen that a homograph is a word or group of words that have the same spelling that is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning and may have a different pronunciation.
Homonyms are homographs that are pronounced the same but have separate classifications. Homonym is a word with the same spelling but has different meanings from another word
Examples of homonyms include the words “bark”, “match” and “mat.” These are words that can still have different meanings.
Homophone – Homophones are words that have the same pronunciation but have different spellings. In homophones, phone means sound.
For example, write, right, knight, and night
Sea and see
They have similar sounds but different meanings.
FAQs on homographs examples
A homograph is one of two or more words that are spelled the same but differ in meaning and may also differ in pronunciation or origin.
A homonym is a group of words with the same spelling or sound but a different meaning. A homograph is a type of homonym that has the same spelling as the other word but a different meaning.
Homophones are a type of homonym that has the same pronunciation as another word but has a different meaning, while homographs have the same spelling as another word, have a different meaning, and may have a different pronunciation.
Did you know some words are both homographs and homophones?
READ ALSO: When To Use Single Quotation Marks: When and Why to Use Them
Conclusion
Homographs are some of the most versatile and confusing words in the English language.
In this article, we have explained it in the simplest terms. We hope you find it useful.
References
Grammarly – homographs examples
Writersdigest – homographs examples
