Homonyms from Borough to Bred

by Lisa Binion

How many of these homonyms are you familiar with?

Borough and burrow
A borough is a community, district, precinct, or ward.
During medieval times, boroughs were settlements in England that had some form of self-government.
Burrow means to dig into the ground.
Marlene stared out the window and watched the rabbit burrow into the side of the hill.

Bough and bow
A bough is a tree branch.
The robin built a nest on the bough of a walnut tree.
A bow is the front part of a ship. It also means to bend over in respect.
The peasants were expected to bow before the king or be put to death.

Buoy and boy
A buoy is a floating device.
The buoy became stuck in the sand.
A boy is a male child.
Mrs. Danvers gave birth to a boy.

Bra and braw
A bra is a garment that is used to cover and support a woman’s breasts.
Marlene received a new bra for her birthday.
Braw is a Scottish term that means well-dressed.
Every head turned as the braw young lass walked down the street.

Braid and brayed
Braid is a weave of three strands of hair, yarn, etc.
Jessica’s hair hung in a long braid down her back.
Brayed is the past tense of bray, the sound with which a donkey communicates.
The donkey brayed at the snarling dogs.

Braise and brays
Braise is a cooking term that means to cook slowly with fat and moisture in a closed pot.
Shelly prepared to braise the lean cut of roast beef.
Brays is the plural form of bray, the sound a donkey makes.
The donkey brays at every passing animal.

Brake and break
A brake is a device that is used to make vehicles stop.
The right brake on the car needs to be fixed.
To break means to separate into parts with force or violence.
Be careful not to break the eggs!

Breach and breech
A breach is a violation of the law, a break in relations that have been friendly, or a leap of a water animal (such as a whale or dolphin) out of the water.
The attack was a breach of the treaty.
When a baby is born breech, it is born bottom first.
The doctor was not comfortable allowing the baby to be born breech, so he performed a cesarean.

Bread and bred
Bread is a baked, leavened food made of a mixture of which the main part is flour or meal
The baking bread filled the house with an enticing smell.
Bred is a verb which means generated or brought forth.
Her prize-winning dogs had bred many beautiful puppies over the years.