Homonym
Full definition of homonym
Noun
homonym
(plural homonyms)- (semantics, strict sense) A word that both sounds and is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning.
- (loosely) A word that sounds or is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning, 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 looser sense) are divided into the two overlapping subcategories homographs and homophones. Examples:
die and dye (homophones but not homographs)
the parasitic flatworm called a fluke and 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)