Homographs

Homographs are words that share the same spelling but have different meanings. They are a form of polysemy in which the written form is identical while the senses diverge. Homographs may be further distinguished by pronunciation: those that are pronounced the same across senses are sometimes called same-pronunciation homographs, while those whose pronunciations differ are more precisely known as heteronyms.

Common examples include lead (to guide) and lead (the metal), bass (fish) and bass (the instrument), and read (present tense) and read (past tense). A classic heteronym is wind (to coil) versus wind (air in motion). These contrasts illustrate how spelling alone cannot determine meaning or pronunciation, making context essential for interpretation.

In lexicography and language education, homographs are typically listed with separate senses, pronunciations, and parts of speech to aid disambiguation. Contextual cues such as sentence structure, nearby words, and intended usage usually resolve which sense is intended.

Originating from the Greek roots homo- meaning "same" and graphos meaning "written," the term highlights the shared written form of these words. In everyday usage, the broader term “homonym” is sometimes used to refer to both homographs and homophones, but precise terminology distinguishes among them: homographs share spelling, homophones share sound, and heteronyms are a subset of homographs that differ in pronunciation.