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On a good day, if you have the right friends and coworkers, you can expect to hear or read some great examples of funny puns. Whether intentional or accidental, a pun is the use of a word or words that either have multiple meanings or sound like other words, the result of which is humorous. There are several different ways to make a pun.

Playing with Sound and Spelling

There aren’t really any stand-alone, one-word puns as they all need some kind of context to create the word play. However, in many cases, the pun is formed within the context by one simple word that sounds like a different word or has another meaning. These are called homophonic or homographic puns.

Homophonic Puns

Homophonic puns are created by substituting one word for a similar-sounding word.

• A good pun is its own reword.
• I bet the butcher the other day that he couldn’t reach the meat that was on the top shelf. He refused to take the bet, saying that the steaks were too high.

Homographic Puns

Homographic puns are created in one of two ways: either by using a word that has two different meanings, or by substituting a word with the same spelling but different meaning as the word for which it was substituted.

• Corduroy pillows are making headlines.
• Did you hear about the optometrist who fell into a lens grinder and made a spectacle of himself?

Compound Puns

Compound puns are made by using a string of two or more words that sound similar to a string of different words.

• Where do you find giant snails? On the ends of giants’ fingers.
• A man walks into a psychiatrist’s office wearing only shorts made of plastic wrap. The shrink says, “Well, I can clearly see you’re nuts.”
• Santa’s helpers are subordinate Clauses.

Funny Animal Puns

Puns involving animals are everywhere, and they run the gamut of pun types. Here is just a small sample of the many, many funny animal puns already in existence.

Sea Creatures and Amphibians

• Biologists have recently produced immortal frogs by removing their vocal cords. They can’t croak.
• The best way to communicate with a fish is to drop them a line.
• On the surface of things whales are always blowing it.
• The marine biology seminars weren’t for entertainment, but were created for educational porpoises.

Horses, Donkeys, and Cows

• A horse is a very stable animal.
• If you hear it from the horse’s mouth you’re listening to a neigh sayer.
• There were three horses on a ship, including a sick bay.
• After the horse ate all of his hay he had a baleful look about him.
• One horse said to another: your pace is familiar but I don’t remember the mane.
• He bought a donkey because he thought he might get a kick out of it.
• The best way to stop a charging bull is to take away his credit card.
• When a cow gives birth she not only gives cream, she is de-calf-inated.

Cats and Dogs

• A dog breeder crossed a setter and a pointer at Christmas time and got a pointsetter.
• A cat ate some cheese and waited for a mouse with baited breath.
• If you throw a cat out a car window does it become kitty litter?
• A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was ticketed for littering.
• In the winter my dog wears his coat, but in the summer he wears his coat and pants.

Insects and Creepy Crawlies

• One grasshopper told another about eating corn. It went in one ear and out the other.
• Scientists have created a flea from scratch.
• Insects that make honey are always on their best bee-hive-iour.
• When a new hive is done bees have a house swarming party.
• A smelly ant was expelled from the colony because he was deodorant.
• Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
• A toothless termite walked into a tavern and said, “Is the bar tender here?”
• Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

Birds

• A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
• The flock of doves decided to stage a coo.
• Peacocks are meticulous because they show attention to de tail.
• The duck said to the bartender, ‘put it on my bill.’
• It’s amazing how eagles catch their prey, they must be really talon-ted.
• Birds are grouchy in the morning because their bills are over dew.
• When a vulture flies, he takes carrion luggage.
• An angry bird landed on a door knob. Then flew off the handle.
• The chicken crossed the playground to get to the other slide.
• Nature reserves are an eagle opportunity employer.

Other Animals

• Sign at a deer crossing: The Buck Stops Here.
• A zoo had a camel with no humps named “Humphrey.”
• Energizer Bunny arrested — charged with battery.
• Male deer have buck teeth.
• It’s OK to watch an elephant bathe as they usually have their trunks on.
• Have you ever heard of an honest cheetah?
• A skunk fell in the river and stank to the bottom.

• An elephant’s opinion carries a lot of weight.

Whether your pun-ch line is one clever word or the entire sentence, the result is always meant to be humorous – leading to funny puns (and punny funs). You may not get a belly laugh for your efforts but a good pun cna go a long way to ease a tense or dull moment.