(Last updated: 25 January 1999)

To qualify as a homomorph, a word must have at least two meanings with entirely different etymologies, but with the same pronunciation and (for a strong homomorph) as the same part of speech.

Most of the items on this list were brought to my attention by Dominus. A few I found on my own; there are also contributions from Arthur and Kendra.

Several of the items here have one etymology listed as "origin unknown" in the online dictionary I used. I count them anyway, even though it's conceivable that the unknown origin is connected to the known one.

I've provided the different-etymology definitions for only a few of these items as yet; eventually I'll provide summary definitions for all of them.

a*

arbor

tree; lattice of vines

art?*

painting/sculpture/etc.; archaic form of "are"

baggage

bail

bar

barrow

baste

sew loosely; pour drippings over; beat [sounds like a recipe for something...]

bear*

beaver

animal; armor

bill

beak; charge

boil

bubbling state; skin inflammation

bore

hole/to drill; [n]wave; [uo]uninteresting/to weary; [v]past of 'bear'

bow

boat front; curtsy

bower?

anchor [no etym. listed]; bed

box?

fisticuffs [no etym.]; crate

bust

bosom; explode

cant

argot; slope (also: tilted; lively (dial. Engl.))

chase

pursuit; groove; frame

chop

a stamp; a cut

chord

combination of tones; line between two points on a curve

chuck

nudge under chin; cut of meat (& tool holder); wedge; endearment term

clap?

percussive noise; gonorrhea (slang)

cleave

clove

cobble

colon

compound

con

cuff?

part of sleeve; slap—unclear whether these are etym. distinct

desert

dock

dole

handout; sorrow (archaic)

don

drill

baboon; cotton cloth; [uo]practice; furrow

dub

duck

fake?

one def. listed as origin-unknown

fallow

farrow*

fawn*

fence?

not according to my dictionary

filet?

unclear—one from MF (threadlet), one from F (net), could be same ultimate source

flatter*

hock

3 meanings

hop

hops*

jade

keel

barge; stabilizer for ship (distantly related); (dial.) red ocher

kennel

key

ladino?

pronounced differently, but unusual enough to be interesting

last

lead

leaves*

departs; foliage

lie

speak untruth; rest horizontally

list

lore

low

something that's not high; moo; flame

mail

meld

mole

five etymologies, plus another w/different pronunciation!

Mosaic?

one is proper noun, one isn't (no, silly, not NCSA; rather, Moses!)

Pandora?

one is proper noun, one isn't

pale

to fence in; to become pallid [*? one is vt, one vi]

pedology

pet

plane

pool

water; betting

prize

something seized by force; something offered as a reward

prop

something that props up; stage property; propeller

prune*

to cut off branches; dried plum

pry

to snoop; to loosen with a lever

pulse

heartbeat; edible seeds

pump

water pump; [uo]low-heeled shoe

punch

punch holes/punch in the nose (probably related); spiked punch

punk

decayed wood; [uo]tough kid

punt

propel a boat by pole; [uo]kick a football; gamble

quail*

quiver

rail

rake

[uo]to incline; a profligate man (may be related to the tool, via "rakehell"); garden tool with tines

rape

herb; grape pomace; forced intercourse

ream*

riddle

ruff

ruffle

shambles

slew

smooch

kiss; smudge

sock?

stocking; punch (slang)

sole*

sound

spade?

distantly related via Greek

spoke

past tense of speak; insert bars into a wheel [*? for tenses?]

still

taipan

foreigner in China; Australian venomous snake—my favorite of those found by Arthur

tire*

grow weary; wheel covering

troll

fishing lure; monster

venery

hunting; love

yard

three feet; backyard

yen

yearning; Japanese money. [Oddly, both from Chinese!]

Key

* indicates weak homomorphs (distinct etymologies but different parts of speech)

? indicates problematic situations, or items I'm not sure whether to count

*? indicates problematic weak/strong designations (tense differences, for instance, or transitive/intransitive difference)

[n] indicates noun

[uo] indicates unknown origin

[v] indicates verb