Row or row?

There are some words that are spelt the same, but have different meanings and pronunciation. You can call these words homographs or homonyms. Here are a few for you.

Row can mean a line of things arranged next to each other: she placed the cups in the table in a row.

Row can also mean to move a boat with oars, as in the picture above: we will row the boat along the river tomorrow. It can be a noun too: let's go for a row.

Although the meanings are different, the pronunciation for them is like "oh" or capital O, to rhyme with blow.

Row can also mean a noisy argument or disturbance: he could hear them having a row in the room next door.

The crowd in the street made a terrible row.

With this meaning, the pronunciation changes to oww (/raʊ/), to rhyme with now and wow.

So the lady in the photo could row her boat and have a row, with two different meanings and pronunciations.

Here is another example: the wind blew the man's hat off.

Wind, the strong movement of air, is pronounced with a short "i" (wɪnd) to rhyme with tinned and grinned.

Wind can also mean to turn or wrap something repeatedly around something else: she winds the wool into a ball; he winds the rope around the pole.

With this meaning, the prounciation is /waɪnd/, to rhyme with mind and find.

Wind pronounced like this also means to tighten up and you can wind up an old-fashioned clock or watch, by tightening the metal spring that makes it work.

And finally, wind pronounced like this means to travel in a way that bends and twists, just like a river does.

The river winds its way along the bottom of the valley.

The past tense is wound (/waʊnd/), to rhyme with ground: they wound up the clock every day.

We could say: as the wind grows stronger, they wind their scarves around their necks.

Here we have two different meanings and two different pronunciations.

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