Homonyms; Multiple-Meaning Words; Or One Reason English is Difficult to Learn

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Introduction

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z

Resources

About the Author

Homonyms; Multiple-Meaning Words; Or One Reason English is Difficult to Learn

Charlotte Smith

ISBN 978-1-68526-475-8 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88851-345-3 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-68526-476-5 (Digital)

Copyright © 2023 Charlotte Smith

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

To my grandsons August and Levi

Introduction

The relationship between homonyms, homophones, homographs, and heteronyms is complicated. Even the experts do not agree. So don't sweat it if you are confused. Everybody is. Just do the best you can, and don't worry about it. The end goal is the same: to be better in English.

Homonyms are words that sound alike and are spelled alike or differently, but they have different meanings depending on the way they are used in the sentence.

There are two types of homonyms: homophones and homographs. Homophones are two or more words with the same pronunciation but different meanings or spellings. This means that this group not only includes words like bat, which can mean more than one thing, but also words like see and sea, which sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. I have published a book on the type of homophones that sound alike.

Homographs are two or more words that are spelled the same but not necessarily pronounced the same, like record (accent on the first syllable) and record (accent on the second syllable). Homographs can also be multiple-meaning words like bear or bat. This book will concentrate only on the type of homonyms that are multiple-meaning words, like post or arms. I even put in a few like china and China. The words that are spelled the same but are pronounced differently and have different meanings are called heteronyms. Heteronyms are homographs that are not homophones. That's another book.

Let me remind you of our eight parts of speech and their abbreviations:

n. (noun): person, place, or thing, or animal; for example: John, street, love

v. (verb): action word or state of being; for example: run, is, am, are

pron. (pronoun): takes the place of a noun; for example: I, you, he, it

adj. (adjective): modifies a noun or pronoun; answers the questions which, what kind of, how many

adv. (adverb): modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb; usually ends in ly; answers the questions when, where, how, to what extent

prep. (preposition): shows position; for example: about, in

conj. (conjunction): connecting word; for example: and, but

inter. (interjection): exclamation; for example: Fire! or Ouch!

After you learn the basic English alphabet, this chart of long and short vowels will help you:

All the rest of the letters of the English alphabet are consonants, but remember that y can sometimes act like a vowel and sound like long e or long i. One more thing: when you see two or more consonants together, they make one smooth sound.

The following is not a complete list of multiple-meaning words because there are thousands. I left out many words that may be simply a noun or a verb and therefore a bit boring. I even had to omit some that were rather interesting like abductor, apostrophe, calculus, canteen, collar, crisp, dish, dressing, exhaust, flounder, fluke, founder, ham, harp, hash, host, lid, mixer, mortar, paint, portal, possession, relish, resolution, sanction, shake, sleeve, snipe, sore, spectrum, stuff, summit, swell, trash, travel, and treat.

When the pronunciation is the same, it will be listed only once per entry.

I tried whenever possible to use English words that are similar to Spanish words. I kept it lighthearted at times but touched on current issues. I tried to keep sentences short and simple yet educational about history, literature, art, etc., when possible.

The following is a list of the most interesting ones you may see in everyday life.

A

(accent on the first syllable; first c sounds like k; second c sounds like s; short e)

accent (n.) distinctive pronunciation of a language; emphasis on a particular syllable of a word

I have a noticeable Southern accent.

The accent was on the third syllable.

accent (v.) emphasize a particular feature

The drapes accent the carpet.

(accent on the second syllable; a sounds like short u; first c sounds like k; second c silent; ou sounds like ow)

account (n.) report; financial statement

He gave an account of what happened to the police.

The records show the income and expense accounts.

account (v.) consider in a certain way

I could not account for his being so distant.

(long a; c is soft and sounds like s; silent e)

ace (n.) highest playing card; expert; pilot who shoots down many enemy aircraft; in tennis, service the opponent cannot return; in golf, a hole in one

Believe it or not, I had four aces.

He was an ace at X games.

He was an ace in WWI.

His first serve was an ace.

She hit an ace on the eighteenth hole.

ace (adj.) very good

She was an ace archer.

ace (v.) to score an ace; get an A for a grade

She aced on the first serve.

I aced the mathematics test.

(short a; c is hard and sounds like k)

act (v.) do something; behave in a certain way; perform

The mayor urged the people to act.

The woman acted suspiciously.

He was going to act in a movie.

act (n.) a thing done; a pretense; a law; division of a play or opera or ballet; a performing group

He committed a criminal act.

He was putting on an act to make her laugh.

The document contained an act to allow women to vote.

Act 1 was the best.

Cirque du Soleil is a fun act.

(accent on the second syllable; a sounds like short u; second d silent; short e; second s silent)

address (v.) write directions for delivery on; speak to in a formal way; name one in a special way; say or write remarks to one

Address the package to Mom.

I addressed the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

He addressed my father as sir.

Address your concerns to the governor.

(accent on the first syllable; short a; second d silent; short e; second s silent)

address (n.) where one lives; a web address; formal speech

My address in Memphis was 1560 Pepperwood.

She delivered an address to the Republican National Convention.

(accent on the second syllable; first and second a short; c sounds like s; silent e)

advance (v.) move forward; make progress

The troop advanced on the enemy.

We advance daily in the medical field.

advance (n.) a forward movement; improvement; something given beforehand

The protestors' advance on the bridge was impressive.

Medical advances are mind-blowing.

Dad gave me an advance on my allowance.

advance (adj.) done beforehand

I received advance notice of my promotion.

(long a; silent i)

aim (v.) point; have the intention of achieving something

He aimed the gun at the target.

Our business aims to give you the best service.

aim (n.) purpose; directing of a weapon

Her aim was to bring awareness to homelessness.

Her aim was perfect, and she hit the bull's-eye.

(silent i; rhymes with hair)

air (n.) a gas made up mostly of oxygen and hydrogen; one's manner; space above the earth; radio waves; a breeze; a jump off the ground on a skateboard or snowboard

The air was smoky due to forest fires.

She gave an air of snobbishness.

I threw my hat into the air.

The station went off the air.

The air felt great.

Shaun caught air on his skateboard.

air (v.) express thoughts publicly; broadcast a program; expose to air

I do not like to air my private thoughts in public.

The program airs on Friday nights.

Mom wants to air out the mattress.

(accent on the first syllable; first a short; ph sounds like f; second a sounds like short u)

alpha (n.) the first letter of the Greek alphabet; the dominant person or animal in a group; the first, usually brightest, star in a constellation; the first in a series (for example, forms of a chemical compound)

The Bible talks of the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.

One could be the male alpha in his circle of friends.

Coyote packs have an alpha.

Have you heard of Alpha Centauri?

alpha (adj.) as in alpha chain in science or alpha wolf or alpha test

(short a)

amp (n.) short for ampere; short for amplifier

The amp is named for André-Marie Ampère.

He brought his own amp to the Plaza.

amp (v.) play music with electric amplification; increase; slang for make one feel excited

Suspense was amped up from page one.

The crowd was amped up by all the clapping and foot-stomping.

(accent on the first syllable; long a; ch sounds like gk; or sounds like ur with short u)

anchor (n.) a heavy object attached to a chain or rope to hold a vessel to the ocean's bottom; one who provides stability; short for anchorman/woman in newscasting

The boat was moving so wildly that the anchor came loose.

The USA is an economic anchor.

My best friends are my anchors.

She retired after twenty-five years as an anchor.

anchor (v.) to moor a ship to the sea's bottom; to fasten; give a firm foundation to; act as an anchor for the news

The ship was anchored close to the island.

The fish anchored to the coral reef.

He anchored for thirty years.

(accent on the first syllable; long a; g is hard and sounds like guh with short u; silent e)

angle (n.) slant; way of considering an issue; position from which something is viewed

A right angle has ninety degrees.

The council thought about the problem from every angle.

From this angle, I can see the White House.

angle (v.) to incline at an angle; to fish; seek something

I angled my chair so I could see the ocean.

The bus angled across two lanes of traffic.

I angled for that big catfish I kept seeing.

I angled for an invitation to the party.

Note: If g is not mentioned in the pronunciation, assume it is hard and sounds like guh with a short u.

(long a; silent e)

ape (n.) large primate including the gorilla, chimpanzee, orangutan, and gibbon; dumb or clumsy person

We went to see the apes at the zoo.

ape (v.) imitate

I love it when comedians ape famous people.

(accent on the second syllable; first a sounds like short u; second p silent; first e long; ci sounds like she; second a long; silent final e)

appreciate (v.) to value; understand something fully; rise in value

I appreciate art and music.

I could not appreciate how much pain he was in.

My car appreciated in value instead of depreciating.

(ar sounds like air; long e; second a sounds like short u)

area (n.) region; a measure of a surface; subject or range of interest

Chinatown makes up a large area of San Francisco, California.

The formula for the area of a rectangle is to multiply the length by the width.

Mathematics and English are my areas of interest.

(ar sounds like r)

arm (n.) upper limb of the body or anything that looks like an arm; a sleeve; ability to throw a ball; something powerful and protective; side part of a chair; part of a company or organization

My arm is in a cast.

The arms of the robot were accurate in the factory.

The arms of the dress were three-quarter length.

The pitcher had a great arm.

I was happy in the comforting arms of my husband.

I sat on the arm of the chair by my husband every Sunday to watch football.

I felt safe in the long arms of the law.

arm (v.) provide with weapons or any other equipment; activate a bomb

I will arm myself with a .38 Smith & Wesson.

We were armed with all the necessary supplies during the disaster.

The man armed the bomb and walked away.

(ar sounds like r; s sounds like z)

arms (n.) weapons; emblems on shields; upper limbs of the body

The army provided the soldiers with arms.

He wrapped his big arms around me.

arms (v.) a form of to arm (see above)

He arms himself with a bow and arrow.

(accent on the first syllable; ar sounds like r; short i; c is hard and sounds like k; silent e)

article (n.) a certain item; a piece of writing; a, an, and the in grammar

I left an article of clothing in the cab.

I wrote an article for a magazine.

Articles are adjectives.

(accent on the second syllable; first a sounds like short u; second t silent; second a short; silent c)

attack (v.) to assault; deal with a problem; criticize

She was attacked as she walked to her car.

The mayor will attack vandalism.

He attacked her stance on capital punishment.

attack (n.) a violent action against one; short bout of an illness

She avoided an attack by walking in a group.

She had an attack of appendicitis.

(accent on the first syllable; long a; i sounds like long e; short u)

atrium (n.) either an open-roofed entrance hall or a central court or hall in a modern building, often glass-covered; one of two upper cavities of the heart from which blood is passed to the ventricles. (Note: plural is atria.)

I once had a dream of having an atrium in my home with beautiful plants.

The right atrium of the heart receives deoxygenated blood from the veins, and the left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the pulmonary vein.

B

(short a; silent c)

back (n.) rear part of body from shoulders to hips; the rear of something or some place; the reverse side

My back hurts, so I have to lie faceup.

He lived in the back of the store.

I burned the back of my shirt with the iron.

I wrote a note on the back of the postcard.

back (adv.) backward; a return to a prior condition; a reclining position; at a distance away; popular again; in return

While playing a board game, she had to move back a space.

I put the vase back on the shelf after I had dusted it.

I leaned back in the recliner chair.

He was miles back behind me.

I miss going back home sometimes.

Bell bottoms are back again.

I lived there back in 2000.

The publisher finally wrote back to me.

back (v.) sponsor; cover the back of; supplement; be in favor of; accompany, as in music; bet money on; walk or drive backward

Her godmother backed her investment.

The knickknack shelves were backed with mirrors.

British forces backed the Americans.

Seventy percent backed the candidate.

The band was backed up with three singers.

He backed the horse with the greatest odds.

I backed away from the coyote.

back (adj.) rear; relating to the past

I parked my car in the back garage.

I had a thousand dollars of back pay coming.

(short a)

bag (n.) a container for carrying things; slang for one's interest; a handbag; loose skin under the eyes; a piece of luggage; slang for an ugly or mean woman; a base in baseball

I carry my lunch in a bag that I reuse.

Music is my bag.

I left my bag in the dressing room.

I hate the bags under my eyes.

I checked one bag at the airport.

The old bag next door was mean to children.

He ran past the bag and was safe on first base.

bag (v.) put something in a bag; hunt and kill an animal; secure something; hang loosely

I bag my own groceries.

He bagged a deer.

I bagged two awards.

His pants bag below his waist.

(ail sounds like el with short e)

bail (n.) temporary release of a criminal

His bail was five hundred dollars.

bail (v.) release on bail; remove water from a boat; abandon

He asked his father to bail him out of jail.

We had to bail water from the boat quickly before it sank.

I bailed on the relationship.

Note: This word is also used many times in the sports world.

(long a; silent i)

bait (n.) lure

Lazy Ike is a stinky bait for catfish.

bait (v.) put bait on a hook or trap; taunt or tease one

I refuse to bait a fishing hook.

My brother baited me every chance he got.

(accent on the first syllable; first a short; an sounds like un with short u; c sounds like s; silent e)

balance (n.) stability; fairness or evenness; scales; majority; amount of money in an account; amount left over

My body's balance is getting worse as I age.

Work and play are on a balance in my life.

I put the fruit on the balance.

The balance of people voted for her.

The balance in my checking account was low.

The balance on your layaway is fifteen dollars.

balance (v.) put something in a steady position; weigh against; make equal

He balanced the ball on his finger.

Balance the pros and cons.

Balance your assets and expenses.

(sounds like bawk)

balk (v.) hesitate; be unwilling to do; obstruct; of a horse, refuse to go; in baseball, of a pitcher, make an illegal motion; prevent a person or animal from having something

The student balked at homework.

The pitcher balked, and the batter walked.

balk (n.) an illegal motion of a baseball pitcher; a roughly squared timber beam; area on a pool or billiard table in which play is restricted; a ridge left unplowed between furrows in a field

The pitcher deceived the batter with a balk.

(a sounds like aw; second l silent)

ball (n.) object in a game; sphere; in baseball, a pitch outside the strike zone; a game played with a ball; rounded part of the foot; a dance

The soccer ball needed inflating.

The cat played with a ball of yarn.

The umpire cried, Ball!

The kids were outside playing ball.

The ball of my foot ached.

Cinderella went to the ball.

ball (v.) form into a ball; vulgar slang: have sex with

He balled his fist and hit the other man.

She balled up her napkin and placed it in her chair.

(accent on the second syllable; a sounds like short u; second l silent; long oo)

balloon (n.) sac filled with air, usually a child's toy; hot-air balloon

The child cried when her balloon burst.

The balloons were beautiful in the skies of Albuquerque.

balloon (v.) swell or billow out; increase quickly; travel by hot-air balloon

Her poodle skirt ballooned out.

Her credit card debt ballooned.

He ballooned across oceans and was not afraid.

balloon (adj.) like a balloon

Balloon curtains were popular a few decades ago.

(short a)

band (n.) a belt of material around something; area different from its surroundings; range on a radio; group of people with a common purpose; subgroup of a tribe; small group of musicians; a herd or flock; a plain ring

My rubber band broke.

There was a peach-colored band of clouds.

CB stands for citizens band (radio frequency).

The band of guerrillas terrorized the people.

There was a renegade band of Indians.

My favorite rock band is Godsmack.

There was a beautiful band of bison.

She just wanted a simple band of gold.

band (v.) put a band on; form a group

The trackers banded some gorillas.

The union banded together and fought for a pay raise.

(long a)

bang (n.) a sudden loud noise; fringe of hair across the forehead; slang for an act of sex

The window fell down with a bang.

Her bangs were too long and hung in her eyes.

bang (v.) hit hard and loudly; vulgar slang for have sex with

The baby banged his cup on the high chair.

(long a; n sounds like ng)

bank (n.) edge of a body of water; a slope of some substance; tilt of a plane; financial institution; a stock of something; cushion on a pool table

He lay on the bank of the river.

There was a huge bank of snow.

I made a deposit of fifty dollars at the bank.

The blood bank is running low on A+.

He took a shot off the bank of the pool table.