What are homonymous words and 10 examples?

THE homonymous words They have a different etymology or origin, but, as Spanish evolved, they adopted identical or similar forms. To the point that they are written the same and pronounced the same or very similar.

Many times, the The homonymy is confused with polysemya phenomenon that describes words written the same way, but which have different meanings.

Recognize homonymous words It’s not always as easy as it seems because, sometimes, they are written differently. This causes them to split into homographs and homophones. Here are tips and examples to distinguish them.

What are homonymous words and 10 examples?

THE Royal Spanish Academy defines the homonym as follows: “Said of a word: Which is pronounced like another, but has a different origin or a very distant meaning.”

Within this classification there are homograph words, which are They write and pronounce the same wayeven if they have different meanings and homophones, they sound the same or very similar.

The CIESE-Fundación Comillas University Center, in Spain, recommends considering two fundamental aspects to know if a word is homonymous or polysemous and to distinguish its origin and grammatical category.

For a better understanding of the phenomenon, here are ten examples homonymous words.

1. Bank. It can refer to the bank on the street or a financial institution, among a dozen meanings. They are homographs, because in any case they are written the same.
2. Berry and go. The former is a fleshy fruit with seeds surrounded by pulp and the latter, a form of the verb go. They are homophones because they sound similar and are spelled differently.
3. Boss. It can be a rope or a military rank, among its twenty meanings. They are homographs and homophones.
4. Home and hunting.The first refers to the house (first meaning) and the second to the action of hunting (first meaning). They are homophones.
5. Cerio and serious. The first is a chemical element, a rare and very rare earth metal. The second word comes from seriousness. They are homophones.
6. Over and under. Synonymous with peak, or highest point of the mountains, and with a large and very deep cavity in the earth. They are homophones.
7. Copper. Chemical element and abundant metal or form of the verb charge. Homographs.
8. Canceled and discarded. The first, form of the verb cancel; the second, from the verb to discard. Homophones.
9. Candle. It may be a cylinder of tallow or wax used for lighting, part of a boat, or the action and effect of sailing. Homographs.
10. I came. The alcoholic drink obtained from the fermentation of grapes or a form of the verb to come. Homographs.