Homonymy
Homonymy is a relation between two or more separate lexical items which
have the same form but different, unrelated meanings.
Here is an example that shows homonymy in spoken and written form:
Note that partial homonymy is also possible:
- homophony ( same pronunciation but different spelling): rain, reign
- homography same spelling but different pronunciation): tear (body fluid), tear (rip apart).
Besides being semantically unrelated, homonyms normally have different historical origins (etymologies).