These last three lexical relations are the basis of a lot of word play, usually for humorous effect. In the nursery rhyme Mary had a little lamb, we think of a small animal, but in the comic version Mary had a little lamb, some rice and vegetables, we think of a small amount of meat. The polysemy of lamb allows the two interpretations. We make sense of the riddle Why are trees often mistaken for dogs? by recognizing the homonymy in the answer: Because of their bark. And if you are asked the following

question: Why is 6 afraid of 7?, you can understand why the answer is funny (Because 789) by identifying the homophones.