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leach ~ leech

[the same pronunciation, as in ‘leech’ that rhymes with “beach”]

“Leach” (verb) means ‘to separate substance, or to take away some substance from a material, such as soil, etc., by passing water through it’,

e.g.

This fertile soil is being leached out/leached away by heavy rains.

Nitrates from chemical fertilizers leach into the water sources, such as rivers, ponds, etc.

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“Leech” (noun) is ‘a kind of worm that lives in wet places and feeds on human or animal blood by pricking the skin and sucking the blood; a person who continually takes money from others’,

e.g.

This pond is not suitable for swimming because it’s full of leeches.

Why has that leech come again – to ask for some more money?  [about a person]

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