Poets find multiple-meaning words useful because the words bring several meanings to the brief lines of a poem, not just one meaning restricted by context. Three kinds of multiple-meaning words are particularly useful in poetry and in other kinds of writing, too. Use the descriptions and examples below to learn about each kind.
Some words have developed different meanings over time. A single word may have many meanings. Take the word can: out of its context, you don't know whether it means "is able to," or "is allowed to," or "to put in a can," or the can itself, or "to put a sudden end to," or "to be possible," or . . . a handful of other meanings. You can see that with multiple-meaning words, context is everything!
Question
In Seamus Heaney's poem "Blackberry-Picking," the speaker describes seeing blackberries ripen in a "glossy purple clot." What definitions of clot make this image more meaningful?
The term homonym contains the word parts homo—, which means "same" and —nym, which means "name". Many homonyms are words that look and sound alike but mean different things in different contexts. For instance, bear can mean "a large furry animal," or it can mean "to carry or to endure". Same word, same spelling, same pronunciation—but you sure wouldn't want to get these two meanings mixed up!
Question
In Robert Frost's "Mending Wall," the speaker's neighbor repeats, "Good fences make good neighbors" and refuses to "go behind his father's saying." A "saying" is an adage, a proverb, or a bit of family lore that gets repeated over and over. What else could saying mean in this context?
Homophones are a subset of homonyms. Homophone comes from word parts meaning same (homo-) and sound (phon-). Words that are homophones sound the same but are spelled differently. They often appear in forms of wordplay, such as puns. Think about this joke: "What did the grape say when it was stepped on? Nothing—it just let out a little wine." The pun of wine, which is made from grapes, and whine, to cry or fuss, makes the joke funny.
Homophones don't have to be funny to add meaning to a poem, though. They can add resonance, or subtle meanings that get readers thinking. When you read a poem and come across a word that you know has homophones, pause a moment to think about what the word means and whether any homophones might add resonance to the poem's meaning. (And look for the occasional pun, especially in humorous poetry.)
Question
In Emily Dickinson's "The Brain—is wider than the Sky—" one line reads: "The Brain is deeper than the sea—." What word is a homophone of sea, and what meaning might it add to the poem?
