Homograph Examples & Exercises

English language is known for its comprehensive vocabulary and complicated grammar, presents learners and even native English speakers with really many difficulties coming from its originality. One of the important languages aspects is the homograph designated as a word with common written form, but it differs in its pronunciation, origin, or meaning.

What is a Homograph?

A homograph is an example of double meaning where two separate words are spelled the same but express different meanings.

Sometimes they are pronounced differently as well. Homographs occur due to the essence of language being its evolutionary nature; words are spelt identically in modern English when they originated from different languages or when one word acquires a number of meanings within its lexical system.

Likewise, the meaning of a word such as “lead” can be to guide or to refer to something heavy. The intricacies involved are the reasons that make homographs an interesting if not complex aspect of the language skills practice.

Homograph Examples

The table below contains homograph, its meanings, parts of speech and sentences that demonstrate each usage:

Homograph	Meaning	Part of Speech	Sentence Using the Homograph
bow	to bend forward	Verb	She had to bow before the queen.
bow	a type of knot or ribbon	Noun	He wore a red bow tie.
lead	to be in charge	Verb	I will lead the team to victory.
lead	a heavy metal	Noun	The pipes are made of lead.
tear	to rip	Verb	Be careful not to tear the paper.
tear	a droplet from the eye	Noun	A tear rolled down her cheek.
wind	to turn or twist	Verb	Wind the clock before you go to bed.
wind	movement of air	Noun	The wind is very strong today.
bass	a type of fish	Noun	He caught a large bass in the lake.
bass	a low sound or voice	Noun	The bass in this song is powerful.
close	to shut	Verb	Please close the door quietly.
close	near	Adjective	He lives in a close proximity to the school.
dove	a bird	Noun	A white dove landed on the balcony.
dove	past tense of dive	Verb	She dove into the water with elegance.
row	to propel a boat	Verb	We will row across the lake.
row	a line of things	Noun	She found her seat in the third row of the theater.
sewer	a waste pipe	Noun	The sewer needs to be cleaned.
sewer	one who sews	Noun	My grandmother was an excellent sewer.
sow	to plant seeds	Verb	He plans to sow carrots this spring.
sow	a female pig	Noun	The sow has given birth to ten piglets.
tear	to rip	Verb	She managed to tear her dress while climbing the fence.
tear	a drop of liquid from the eye	Noun	A single tear fell from his eye during the movie.
content	satisfied	Adjective	He seemed content with the results.
content	what is contained	Noun	The content of the book is educational.
invalid	not valid	Adjective	The argument he made was invalid.
invalid	a person made weak by illness	Noun	The old invalid relied on his caretaker.
minute	sixty seconds	Noun	I’ll be ready in one minute.
minute	extremely small	Adjective	He noticed a minute scratch on the lens.
polish	to make shine	Verb	He likes to polish his shoes every Sunday.
Polish	relating to Poland	Adjective	My grandmother is Polish and makes excellent pierogi.
refuse	to decline	Verb	She refused to answer the controversial question.
refuse	discarded waste	Noun	The refuse from the house was picked up early in the morning.
subject	topic of discussion	Noun	The subject of his talk is climate change.
subject	to cause to undergo something	Verb	They were subjected to heavy criticism.
tear	to pull apart	Verb	Be careful not to tear the fabric when you cut it.
tear	a drop of saline liquid	Noun	A tear fell from her eye as she laughed at the joke.

Exercises on Homographs

Exercise 1: Choose the Right Word

For each sentence below, select the correct form of the homograph from the choices provided. Each homograph is used in two different contexts.

1. Can you ___________ the team in today’s meeting since you ___________ the project discussions last week?
2. She tried to ___________ the antique clock, hoping to hear it ___________ down at the end of the day.
3. To _________ across the lake takes strength, especially if you are in the last __________ of a crowded theater.
4. He decided to _________ down the old wallpaper so he wouldn’t __________ up from the dust.
5. She wore a beautiful _________ in her hair, and her performance made the audience _________ deeply.
6. He could not ____________ the pain any longer, nor could he __________ to leave the comfort of his home.
7. The thief was caught on camera as he tried to __________ the jewelry made of stainless ___________.
8. Every Sunday, she loves to ____________ the newspaper and _________ to her grandchildren.
9. The baker will often ___________ the dough before he ___________ to make a phone call.
10. The dog will often _____________ on the sofa, even though he knows it is a __________ that he is allowed there.

See also: List of 75 Literary Devices

Answers:

1. lead, led
2. wind, wind
3. row, row
4. tear, tear
5. bow, bow
6. bear, bear
7. steal, steel
8. read, read
9. knead, knead
10. lie, lie

Exercise 2:

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the homograph that makes sense in meaning and context.

1. Please____________ the door as the meeting is about to _____________.
2. During the lecture, the historian had to _____________ his voice so that the ____________ details were clear.
3. The musician came ____________ to perform a solo on his ____________ guitar.
4. She used a __________ to weigh the ingredients before she began to ___________ the wall for the climbing competition.
5. Every Halloween, the children ___________ up in costumes and ____________the house with spooky decorations.
6. He was excited to ___________ his invention, which would soon ___________ new opportunities.
7. In winter, the roads __________ over quickly, making it hard to __________ the cake as smoothly.
8. The coach had to ___________ hard to keep the ___________ running on time.
9. The artist decided to __________ a portrait using the ___________ from the lottery as inspiration.
10. It’s crucial to ____________ to unfair policies before you become an ___________ of scrutiny.

See also: Figures of Speech Examples

Answers:

1. close, close
2. project, project
3. bass, bass
4. scale, scale
5. dress, dress
6. present, present
7. ice, ice
8. train, train
9. draw, draw
10. object, object

Questions and Answers on Homographs

Q: What defines a homograph?

A: A homograph is defined as a word that is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning and sometimes a different pronunciation.

Q: Why are homographs significant in learning English?

A: Homographs illustrate the complexity of English and help learners understand the importance of context and pronunciation in communication.

Q: Can homographs be both nouns and verbs?

A: Yes, many homographs can function as multiple parts of speech, including nouns and verbs, depending on their usage in sentences.

Q: Do homographs always have different pronunciations?

A: Not always. Some homographs share the same pronunciation while others do not, depending on their etymological origins and usage.

See also: Literary Devices That Start with H