Homonym 同形同音異義詞

tóngxíng tóngyīn yìyìcí · from Greek

What is a homonym?

A homonym is a word spelt and pronounced the same as another but with an unrelated meaning, like bank (river) and bank (money).

Strictly, homonyms share both spelling and sound, while homophones share only sound and homographs only spelling. In everyday use the terms overlap. German speakers call homonyms Teekesselchen.

Examples

bank (river) / bank (money); bat (animal) / bat (cricket); German Kiefer (pine / jaw); 杜鵑 dùjuān (cuckoo / azalea)

Kungfucius says: Same word, two lives, no family resemblance.