 Thus, "lead" (a metal element) and "lead" (a leash or halter to direct an animal) are heteronyms, but "mean" (intend) and "mean" (average) are not, since they are pronounced the same.Heteronym pronunciation may vary in vowel realisation, in stress pattern (see also Initial-stress-derived noun), or in other ways.A heteronym is a homograph that is not a homophone, a word that has a different pronunciation and meaning from another word with the same spelling.