NAME : MUZDALIFA LUBIS

CLASS : V.B

NO.REG : 15020161

HOMONYM

Homonym is a word that has a different meaning but the same pronunciation or spelling.
Homonyms can be separated into two groups, If the same pronunciation is called a
homophone such as pair and pear, but if the same is the spelling then it is called homograf such
as "bow your head" and "tied in a bow"

A homonymous word has meaning depending on the context of the sentence that follows it.
Therefore, we still can not decide what the meaning of a word is conceived without seeing it in
the form of a whole sentence.

If we hear the word "Bat" there must be two meanings that pass through our brain so that we
can not decide the exact meaning of the word. However, if the word "Bat" has been put into a
whole sentence like below, then we can identify the meaning of the word.

-Bats may have rabies like dogs or cats.

-The boy hit a thief with an aluminium baseball bat last night.

Examples of homonyms used in sentences:

 Band- a small group of musicians and vocalists

 Banned- something that is disallowed or illegal
E.g.- The band is very popular but is banned in that country.

 Crane- a bird
 Crane- a machine used at construction sites
E.g.- The crane flew above the construction crane.

 Left- to leave
 Left- realted to the side of the human body
E.g.- I left my phone on the left side of the room

 Hear (verb)
 Here (Adverb)

E.g.- Do you want to hear a joke?

Take off your shoes here.

 Accept (verb)
 Except (Preposition)
 E.g.- She will not accept the job offer.

No one is allowed to enter my room, except you.

How many homonyms are there in the English language?

Rogers Reference, in their working dictionary of homonyms described

at http://rogersreference.com, claim to have documented 6,139 homonyms in the English
language. But it is important to bear in mind that perceptions of similarity between words are
essentially subjective and will often differ from person to person. And of course, in the case of
homophones, regional accents will both create and negate homophony. To make matters worse,
definitions of homonymy, homophony and homography seem to differ in themselves from
dictionary to dictionary and, it seems, between British and American English.

References:

1. An English Homophone Dictionary.http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/writing/homofone.htm.

Accessed on February 19, 2013.
2. Homophones, Homographs, Homonymns, and Hetronyms.
http://www.ltl.appstate.edu/reading_resources/homophones.html. Accessed on February 19,
2013.
3. Homonyms. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/index.php?category_id=2&sub_categ
ory_id=1&article_id=48. Accessed on February 19, 2013.
4. Commonly Misused Words and Phrases. http://wsuonline.weber.edu/wrh/words.htm.
Accessed on February 19, 2013.
5. Homophone. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophone. Accessed on February 19, 2013.