All About Reading

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Homonyms from Cache to Capitol

by Lisa Binion

With how many of the following homonyms are you familiar?

cache and cash
A cache is a hiding place. In Alaska and Northern Canada, it is a small shed used for storing food and is placed on elevated poles so that it is out of the reach of animals.
The determined robbers tore the house apart looking for the cache of precious jewels.
Cash is legal tender or money.
The remote society used clam shells for cash.

cached and cashed
When an item is cached, it is hidden away.
Gerald had absolutely no luck finding the cached antiques.
When something is cashed, it is converted to legal tender.
Marilyn cashed the check her father had sent with her.

calendar and calender
A calendar is a system of keeping track of the day, month, and year.
Sarah marked off on her calendar each day as it passed, counting down the days to her marriage.
This is a completely new word for me. A calender is a machine that smooths cloth or paper by pressing it between rotating cylinders.
The paper company bought a very expensive calender.

call, caul, and col
When you call someone, you communicate with them over a telephone.
Fred and Annie’s daughter is always wanting to call someone.
A caul is part of the inner fetal membrane that sometimes covers the head of a child at birth.
David Copperfield had a caul when he was born.
A col is a mountain pass.
The explorers were searching for a col in the Appalachian Mountains.

collar and caller
A collar is something placed around the neck of an animal, sometimes for identification.
Tabby’s owners bought her a new collar.
A caller is a person who calls or visits.
The caller had been expected to arrive at 7:00, not 5:00.

can’t and cant
Can’t is the contraction of cannot.
Delores can’t go to the movies without the permission of her parents.
Cant is the special phraseology of a particular class, group, or profession.
The cant of the nuclear scientist proved to be a challenge for the student.

cannon and canon
A cannon is a mounted gun that fires heavy projectiles.
The cannon on display at the museum had been used in the Civil War.
Canon is the laws put into place by the Roman Catholic Church.
The canon was approved by Pope John Paul II.

canter and cantor
A canter is an easy gallop.
The gentle cantor of the horse made her a favorite for beginning riders.
A cantor is an official who leads the music in a cathedral or parish church.
The cantor of the local church was on a long vacation.

canvas and canvass
A canvas is a rough cloth used as a foundation for embroidery stitches.
Maggie embroidered the intricate picture on the canvas.
One goes out to canvass when one wants to collect votes or examine something very closely.
Those supporting the candidate were sent out to canvass each door in his precinct.

capital and capitol
Capital and capitol are two words that I still frequently confuse. Capital is the official seat of the government in a country, state, etc.
The capital of Kentucky is Frankfort.
A capitol is the building used by a state legislature.
The capitol was given a new coat of white paint.

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