A Heteronym is a word that has the same spelling as another word but with a different pronunciation and meaning. These words are sometimes also called homographs.
1. Homophone/-ic is used if the words have the same sound. It is derived from the prefix homo- meaning “the same” and the suffix -phone which means “sound” and thus refers to words that sound the same.2. homograph/-ic is used if the words have the same spelling. It is derived from the prefix homo- meaning “the same” and the suffix -graph which means “to write” and thus refers to words that are written (spelled) the same.3. synonym is used if the words have the same meaning. Derived from the prefix syn- meaning “same sense” and the -onym which means “name” and thus refers to words that have the same sense (meaning).4. Only that which is referenced in the name as being the same are, the rest is assumed to be different.5. The use of the descriptive words are in the order presented. For instance, because homophone is located above homograph in the SCS table, homophonic homograph is used instead of homographic homophone.
- Affect (verb) and affect (noun, in psychology)
- Agape (a mouth) and agape (theological term for Christian love , and also a term for a Church social event)
- Alternate (adjective) and alternate (verb)
- Appropriate (adjective) and appropriate (verb)
- Bases (plural of basis) and bases (plural of base, but also a near-homonym for basis)
- Bass (fish) and bass (voice)
- Bow (defer) and bow (for violin)
- Buffet and buffet
- Close (adjective) and close (verb)
- Console (verb) and console (noun)
- Contents (noun) and contents (verb, usually reflexive, third person singular; but also works in the first person with the singular form of the noun)
- Contract and contract
- Contrary and contrary
- Converse (verb) and converse (noun)
- Coordinates (verb) and coordinates (mathematical or cartological noun)
- Delegate (verb) and delegate (noun)
- Denier (one who denies something, such as the holocaust) and denier (unit of measurement for the fineness of silk, nylon and other fabrics)
- Desert (noun) and desert (verb), though the latter is a homophone for dessert (noun)
- Deliberate (adjective) and deliberate (verb)
- Does (verb) and does (plural noun)
- Dogged (one syllable) and dogged (two syllables)
- Dove (the bird) and dove (past tense of dive)
- Entrance (noun) and entrance (verb)
- Essay (noun) and essay (verb)
- Evening (noun) and evening (verb)
- Grave (to rhyme with ‘halve’) and grave (to rhyme with ‘gave’)
- Import (verb) and import (noun; for example, close synonym for importance)
- Incense (noun) and incense (verb)
- Invalid (adjective) and invalid (noun)
- Intimate (adjective) and intimate (verb)
- Lead (metal) and lead (verb)
- Lied (musical noun) and lied (verb, past tense)
- Liver (internal organ) and liver (“a name arbitrarily given to the bird figured in the arms of the city of Liverpool”, according to the dictionary).
- Minute (noun) and minute (adjective)
- Moped (noun) and moped (verb, past perfect tense)
- Number (noun) and number (relative form of numb)
- Pace (by the leave of) and pace (footstep/speed)
- Pasty (noun) and pasty (adjective)
- Plaque and plaque
- Present (verb) and present (noun)
- Project (noun) and project (verb)
- Putting (not golf) and putting (golf)
- Recreation and recreation
- Recover (from illness or other misfortune) and recover (while restoring furniture, for example)
- Refuse (verb) and refuse (noun)
- Routed (in battle) and routed (via a computer network)
- Row (argue, argument) and row (line)
- Severer (more severe) and severer (one who severs)
- Sewer (one who sews) and sewer (sanitation infrastructure)
- Sin (mathematical) and sin (theological). This is a triple heteronym, according to someone who knows better than I how to pronounce Sin, the Akkadian god of the moon.
- Skied (past tense of ski) and skied (an old cricketing term, according to the OED)
- Slough (verb) and slough (noun)
- Sow (noun) and sow (verb)
- Supply (verb or noun) and supply (adverb from ’supple’; this spelling is preferable to ’supplely’, according to the Oxford Spelling Dictionary.)
- Swinging and swinging (alternative spelling of ’swingeing’, according to the OED)
- Tear (verb) and tear (noun)
- Tier (noun, one who ties something) and tier (noun, a level or layer)
- Unionized (meaning formed a union) and unionized (reverse of ionized)
- Wind (noun) and wind (verb, to rhyme with bind)
- Whoops (verb) and whoops (exclamation)
- Whooping (in which the ‘h’ is silent) and whooping, in which the ‘w’ is silent. Since the latter only occurs in ‘whooping cough’, this is a one-trick heteronym.
- Worsted (yarn or fabric) and worsted (opposite of bested)
- Wound (noun) and wound (past tense of wind)
- Zoon (two syllables; scientific noun) and zoon (one syllable; verb, meaning a style of preaching or praying)
