They do not mean the same thing. We call them homophones. There's waist and waste and sew and so. There's night and knight and wait and weight. So many homophones.
Some words sound like another.
The spelling will be different. They do not mean the same thing. We call them homophones. O makes the short-i sound in women. Others may stumble, but not you, On hiccough, thorough, laugh, and through.