I'm not sure how much anyone here will be able to say on this subject, but I need some help!
The basic question is what's the difference between a homophone and a homonym? Also, what is a homonym?!
Here's the backstory:
I work at an elementary school, and sometimes i go into the classroom and play bingo with the 3rd - 4th graders. I usually play homophone, or synonym bingo, and the kids were getting bored of the same two games. While cleaning my office, I stumbled upon homonym bingo. I thought to myself "what's a homonym?!" I looked it up online, and I found out that no one knows!! Even the major dictionaries disagree on the relation between homophones and homonyms. I decided to ask my boss, the reading specialist, who was also unable to give me a clear definition of the word homonym.
So, for reference:
Homophone: One of two or more words that are
pronounced the same (sound the same)
but differ in meaning.
I am unclear as to whether or not they must differ in spelling.
examples:
-There, Their, and They're
-See and Sea
-Know and No
-To, Too, and Two
Homograph:One of two or more words that are
spelled the same, but
differ in meaning and/or origin.
Examples:
-PARK: Many people have difficulty when trying to parallel
park. It was a beautiful day for a walk in the
park.
-BAT: I swung my baseball
bat at the
bats in the cave.
Homonym: this is where is gets confusing. I have found different definitions for homonyms.
1. Oxford says: Homonym: "Word of same form as another but different sense (e.g. POLE(1), POLE(2))".
2. Webster says: Homonym: "a word having the same sound, or the same spelling and sound, as another which has a different meaning, e.g. 'bare' and 'bear'".
THOSE ARE NOT THE SAME!
I have discovered that i am not the only one who is confused. If you really are interested, check out this website:
http://rogersreference.com/rrhomonyms.htm
Discuss:
- The lack of consistancy in dictionaries
- Homphones, Homographs, or Homonyms
= uh, anything else, I suppose?