litter

Litter is rubbish left lying about — and, quite separately, a set of newborn animals. One word doing two very different jobs.

The rubbish sense is a mass noun and a civic complaint, so dropping litter is an offence and a litter bin is what you should have used. The animal sense counts, since a litter of puppies is all the young born at once. There is a third, since cat litter is the absorbent material in a tray. And a litter was once a covered couch carried on poles, which is where all of them ultimately come from.

Also practised as

• nounAll the young born to one animal at one time.