General term for sheep, the animal. Used in both everyday and technical contexts.
Sheep are eating grass on the farm.
Rare kanji spelling using 緬 (fine thread); not commonly used.
Alternate kanji spelling using 綿 (cotton) for the めん part; less common than めん羊.
The reading めんよう is a combination of 綿 (めん, cotton) and 羊 (よう, sheep), referring to the wool-bearing animal. The kanji spellings reflect this origin.