HOMONYM

homonym

(noun) two words are homonyms if they are pronounced and spelled the same way but have different meanings

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

homonym (plural homonyms)

(semantics, strict sense) A word that both sounds and is spelled the same as another word.

(loosely) A word that sounds or is spelled the same as another word, technically called a homophone (same sound) or a homograph (same spelling).

(taxonomy) A name for a taxon that is identical in spelling to another name that belongs to a different taxon.

Usage notes

• Homonyms (in the broader sense) are divided into the two overlapping subcategories homographs and homophones. Examples

die and dye (homophones but not homographs)

the parasitic flatworm called the fluke, the fish called the fluke, and a fluke, part of the tail of a whale (both homophones and homographs and therefore true homonyms in the strict sense)

the metal lead and the present tense of the verb lead (homographs but not homophones)

Source: Wiktionary

Hom"o*nym, n. Etym: [Cf. F. homonyme. See Homonymous.]

Definition: A word having the same sound as another, but differing from it in meaning; as the noun bear and the verb bear. [Written also homonyme.]

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition