A word spelled the same as another but having a different meaning and origin is a homograph. The term comes from Greek roots meaning “same writing,” referring to identical written forms rather than identical sounds.
Some homographs are pronounced differently. “Lead” can mean to guide, pronounced “leed,” or the metal, pronounced “led.” These are also called heteronyms because their pronunciations differ. Other homographs may share pronunciation as well: “bank” can refer to a financial institution or the side of a river, and “bat” can name an animal or a piece of sports equipment.
Terminology varies slightly among dictionaries. Some use “homograph” broadly for any words with the same spelling and different meanings, while others reserve it for words that also differ in pronunciation. The Oxford English Dictionary additionally emphasizes that the words may have different origins.
Homograph is easy to confuse with homophone and homonym. Homophones sound alike but may be spelled differently, as with “pair” and “pear.” “Homonym” is sometimes used broadly for words sharing spelling or pronunciation, but “homograph” is the precise answer when identical written form is the key clue.