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?

This is very interesting indeed...

If I wasn't so tired I'd come up with something witty to say...

• 
  
  Heh, well...I guess consider yourself a more educated person?
  
  

What about words like drawer and drawer.
They're spelt the same, but when said differently mean different things?

• 
  
  D:
  
  I have no idea. I was going to ask that, but I thought it would be too much confusion for one post. Sort of like Read (pronounced reed) and Read (pronounced red)
  
  I DON'T KNOW!
  
  

I think my brain hurts. @_@

• 
  
  So I talked to the reading specialist, and she told me that a homograph is actually one of two words that sound differently, but are spelled the same, for example: I wound the bandage around my wound.
  
  I think that no one knows!
  
  

Oh, that's interesting problem.

Well, I always thought the word "homophone" means that some words has the same pronounciation but different meaning and spelling (that's clear, right?). And "homonyms" are homophones and homographs: they have the same spelling and pronounciation but different meaning.
But now, I'm not so sure homonyms D:
*Oh, padfootsy, you ruined my world! XDD*

I tried to find another definitions in my dictionaries or other sites, not English, but all definition are slightly unclear.
On site of Polish Scientific Publishers PWN there is an encyclopedy and dictionary. And there are two different definitions! One says, that homonyms have the same spelling and pronounciation. Another - that they have the same sound but differ origin, meaning, often also spelling.
And now I don't know what to think about it.

So I talked to the reading specialist, and she told me that a homograph is actually one of two words that sound differently, but are spelled the same, for example: I wound the bandage around my wound.

I think that no one knows!

It was clear for me. And what are homophones, I understand this. But those homonyms... I can't believe that there are such a incoherences or contradictions in dictionaries!