What is it called when words are spelled the same but different meaning?
This category of words are called ‘homonyms’. There are two types of homonyms. If the words have the same spelling but different pronunciations and meanings like: bow (tie a ribbon in a bow) and bow (bend forward, as on stage) they are called “homographs”. If they have the same pronunciation but different spelling like: see and sea, they are called “homophones”. Graph – refers to grapheme which has to do with the written part of language Phone – refers to phonetics which has to do with the sound part of language Hope this helps.
