You searched for: “cranes”
crane, cranes; crane, cranes
crane (KRAYN), cranes (KRAYNz) (noun)
1. Any of various large wading birds of the family Gruidae, having long necks, long legs, and long beaks that live near water; such as, swamps or rivers: It was interesting to see the cranes as they were trying to catch fish in the marshes."
2. A machine for hoisting and moving heavy objects by means of cables attached to a movable boom: There were several cranes working on the construction of the new hotel.
crane (KRAYN), cranes (KRAYNz) (verb)
To stretch one's neck toward something for a better view: The people had to crane their necks to see the movie star as he walked on the sidewalk in their direction.

There is a big difference between cranes that fly and cranes which are used for lifting and moving heavy materials despite the fact that both types are involved in the construction of something; for example, those that build nests and those which help in building various structures.

This entry is located in the following unit: Confusing Words Clarified: Group C; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, Polysemes, etc. (page 12)