Homographs in the Same Sentence

Homographs (HOM-uh-graf, HOA-muh-) are words that are spelled the same but differ in meaning, derivation, or perhaps pronunciation. Purists favor all three.

The better ones in the following list do not rely on punctuation (apostrophe's, etc.). I'm specifically looking for sentences in which the homographs appear next to each other. Contributions are welcome. When I know the source, s/he appears in parentheses.

Single letter Homographs

Double Letter Homographs

Homophones

Single letter Homographs

A.

• (3 in 1; 7 in a row) My personal assistant typed "andandand" instead of "and and and". I told her, "There should be a space between, and and and, and and and and". (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• The math teacher, who found aesthetic elements in geometric figures, felt that most triangles have a cute acute angle. (Dick Brink)

B.

• Did you ever see a bow bow to an arrow? (Dick Brink)
• If fish can hear, would, to a bass, bass be deep? (SK)
• (8 in a row) Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo, Buffalo buffalo buffalo. [Note: It is a sentence with the structure "People intimidate people, people intimidate." with the following substitutions: People -> American bison from a NY City or "Buffalo buffalo" Intimidate -> buffalo (By way of Lance Hahn, from an unremembered source)].
• Being a human being does not necessarily mean you are intelligent.(Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))

C.

• (Punctuation (:) would make this 3 in a row) When the grammarian read this sentence he felt a twinge in his colon: Colon use should be restricted to scholarly works. (SK)
• (almost a double) The stained-glass artisan's lead came came by UPS. She has to be careful; lead leads to illness if she isn't. (Pauline Jones)
• "The can can go out." said the recycler.
• If the animal comes close, close the door (Joan Krenzin)
• (almost a triple homographs but different sentences.) Separate the titles from the rest of the sentence with a colon: "Colon cancer in rats: Ratting on rats who smoke. Health goes up in smoke." (Joan Krenzin)
• Americans eat what they can, and they can what they can't. (From a Reader's Digest, contributed by Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• They were too close to the door to close it. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• (3 meanings) This study was limited to the class 10 students from the upper-class of the society, who attain first class in exams and travel by first class only.(Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

D.

• The criminal deserts deserts when he escapes from prison. (Joan Krenzin)
• She took up SCUBA because she had heard of divers divers pleasures. (Lee Gray, Mount Union College)
• To clinch this deal, deal with the problems first. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• The buck does funny things when the does are present. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))

E.

• Can an exile exile another person?
• Exit through the door having an exit sign.(Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

F.

• To keep the flies out of their faces the servant fans fans.
• "Did the foul foul up your leg," asked the coach?
• At the competition the ceiling fan fans fans.(SK)
• (fly is the homograph. Also homophones of flea/flee and flue/flew) A fly and a flea in a flue, were imprisoned, so what could they do? Said the flea, "Let us fly." Said the fly, "Let us flee." So they flew through a flaw in the flue. (from a book of limericks, contributed by Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• Cook fast; yesterday the whole day I had a fast.(Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

G.

• The glass glass shattered but the plastic was okay.
• We can take up this project only when the committee will grant the grant.(Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

H.

• If the head navigator has a head, he should head this way. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• (3 meanings) variation: If the head navigator needs the head, he should head this way.
• While hitting the nail, the nail of my index finger was injured. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

I.

• Is 'is' the first word of this sentence? (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• The insurance was invalid for the invalid. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend? (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))

J.

• I eat jam in a traffic jam. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• That jerk is the cause of this jerk. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• (3 meanings) The jet left a jet of jet black smoke behind it.(Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

K.

• I like that kind of kind person. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

L.

• The graphic designer letters letters.
• "Let His light light your path," said the evangelist.
• In this light, light colors don't show up as well.
• (4 meanings) After eating light, light dawned--the colors were too light; light in weight, balloons needed dark colors.
• I like like-minded persons. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• He could lead if he would get the lead out. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• (3 meanings, 4 occurrences)I had planned to leave Bangalore, but leave was not sanctioned and hence left the leave plan alone but the boss left without leave and was sanctioned! (Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• (2 meanings, 8 occurrences across sentences). You've no need to light a nightlight On a light night like tonight, For a nightlight's lights a slight light, And tonight's a night that's light. When a night's light, like tonight's light, It's really not quite right To light nightlights with their slight lights, on a light night like tonight. (From a friend of Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

M.

• He apologized with a flower. In spite of the mum, mum was the word.

• (3 in a row. 3 meanings) A truck which carries everything you own is a moving van, and it's easy to visualize a moving moving van. Can you imagine, though, being moved to tears about moving your possessions and thus seeing it as a moving moving moving van? (Paul Stokes)

• Working on previously unpublished material, a frustrated conductor named Mark Thyme composed a quick remedy for his myopic percussionist:  Taking his finger and drawing an "x" on the tympanist's drum, the conductor, now quite amused with himself, remarked quite audibly,  "Mark marks mark the spot!" (Lanita Kirby) (For a MM variation see next section.)

• How mean of you if you really mean it. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

N.

• Having been given a spinal anesthetic, our statistician-colleague was indeed a number number-cruncher. (Tom Brink)
• After a number of injections my jaw got number. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))

O.

• After a flurry of cleaning, the orderlies had an orderly orderly room. (Pauline Jones, WKU)
• O'man, Oman is a beautiful country. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• I did not object to the object. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))

P.

• The coach wondered, "Will Peter peter out?"
• Do you know about the baseball player who collects certain pieces of pottery? His friends call his collection the pitcher's pitchers. (Pauline Jones, WKU)
• Being fastidious caretakers of cutlery, the Polish polish their silverware with great care. (Lee Gray, Mount Union College)
• We must polish the Polish furniture. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• The farm was used to produce produce.(Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• Peel the banana and throw its peel in the trash. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• Park in the park. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• (3 meanings) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present but the recipient was not present. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore) and added to by
  Hubert Walczak)
• (4 meanings) I can't leave my post to show you the post office; leave the letter here, I shall post it during the post lunch session. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

Q.

• Our quarry is hiding in a quarry. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

R.

• The mother insisted that work on her son's resume resume. (Joan Krenzin, WKU)
• I was asked to read what I had read! (Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• (3 meanings) One person is having a rest, another one is in the rest room, and the rest of them are in the hall. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

S.

• I'm allergic to scotch so for my sake, sake must be served.
• She'd shed her fur.
• Your nose smells smells.
• He dropped an ash from his pipe, and suddenly found he had a smoking smoking jacket! (Pauline Jones, WKU)
• A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• I had to subject the subject to a series of tests. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• (4 meanings) I had planned to leave Bangalore, but leave was not sanctioned and hence left the leave plan alone but the boss left without leave and was sanctioned! (Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore)
• (4 meanings) I state that the current state of the things should be abolished in the state of California, and all its hardware should be upgraded with the state-of-the-art technology. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

T.

• Seeing a woman in tears tears me up. (Tom Brink)
• (Almost a 2 in 1) At the men's retreat, Tom tom-tomed on his drum.
• I saw the tower tower over other cars. (Joan Krenzin, WKU)
• After the trial, trial and error methods seemed reasonable.
• Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• (3 meanings) I waited from two to two to two to two too, (that is, from 1:58 to 13:58). (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• (2 in 1) Tintin's tin tin's lid came off. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

U.

• My cost of living rises every time UPS ups its rates. (Dick Brink)
• The Senator seemed to utter utter nonsense. (Dick Brink)
• In response to my request for a U to complete the alphabet: "I would like to offer you some sort of chemical process to complete your homograph homepage, but realize that the hydrogen I have to offer is unionized, that is to say, only in the form of a gas, and that, failing unionized laborers to transport it I may fall short of the mark." (Tom Brink)
• (3) Under no circumstance, force any one to inhale gas under pressure, under water.(Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

V.

• He values values of others. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• Voice your displeasure in a loud voice. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

W.

• A long and ugly wound wound up his leg. (Lee Gray,Mount Union College)
• The bandage was wound around the wound. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• I could not wind the clock due to strong wind. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• The wind was too strong to wind the sail. (Unknown, contributed by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))

X.

• Keep away from the area marked with X. X rays pass through it. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• (3 meanings) I wonder how Romans differentiate between 10 X, 20, and X 10. For me, they all look the same; X X, X X, X X. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

Y.

• Not time to go yet, yet another dish follows. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• I yen for yen. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• (3 meanings) Just a yard separated the yard engine and our court yard. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

Z.

• (2 in 1) Commandos, when my clock hits zero zero, ZERO IN! (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)
• I saw a zebra at the zebra crossing.(Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

Double Letter Homographs or More!

DOS.

• When you switch duty or go off the site, it is your duty to press the main switch and turn the hydraulic press off. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

MM.

• (an abab pattern and a variation on a single M contribution.) Working on previously unpublished material, a frustrated conductor named Mark Thyme composed a quick remedy for his myopic percussionist. He took a marker and drew an "x" on the tympanist's drum. The conductor was now quite amused with himself. Remarked Mark, "Mark's mark marks the spot!"

MS.

• The second volume of the manual explains the manual way to reduce volume in a second. (Kaustubh Shejwalkar, Mumbai (Bombay), India)

SW.

• (3 meanings) Whether we weather weather on the local scene remains to be seen. (Joan Krenzin, WKU).

Homophones, etc. (but I liked them anyway)

• Alas, a lass caused him to lose his virginity. (Joan Krenzin)
• Have you heard about the flea repellent program similar to the liquid stuff we put on the back of cats' necks? It really works! You see in the fleece fleas by the hundreds evacuating. A myriad fleas, not just the lone flea, flee fleece at first application. (Jeannine Maxwell Randes)
• Great checks without great cheques! (seen in an advertisement by Yamini W. Nafde, CBSI (Bangalore))
• Did you hear of the poultry scientist? In honor of his longstanding and intimate relationship with those for whom he worked, he was invited to a fowl ball. When he declined, you should have heard those fowl bawl.
• He saw a saw. Esau saw a seesaw.
• Our heroine's heroin was coursing through her veins. (Tracy Blevins, U. Texas) and variation Of course, here on in, our heroine hoped heroin would course through her coarse veins, as she vainly stabbed here on in to herself, dragging her hair on in and leaving a vane, her vanity vanquished.(John Ruskin, building on Tracy's).