Which term refers to words with the same spelling and pronunciation, but different meanings?

• A. Homograph
• B. Homonym
• C. Semantic
• D. Dyslexia

Answer: (B)

Words that look the same and sound the same but have different meanings are called homonyms. This fits the prompt because it asks for a term describing pairs of words with identical spelling and pronunciation yet distinct meanings. To see it in action, consider bat—the animal and the sports implement share both spelling and pronunciation but convey different ideas in context. Another example is bark—the sound a dog makes versus the outer layer of a tree. While there are related terms—homographs (same spelling) and homophones (same sound)—the description here specifically points to words that are identical in both spelling and sound but differ in meaning, which is what a homonym refers to.