Homonyms are words that sound alike or almost alike but have different spelling and different meaning

1. ate – eight     [eɪt]

Bruce ate carrots for lunch.

There were eight girls here for the meeting.

2. bare – bear     [beə]

The table was bare.

Mr. Thompson shot a bear.

3. beach – beech      [biːtʃ]

We played on the beach before we went swimming.

We had our picnic under the beech tree.

4. be – bee      [biː]

Can you be home by two o’clock?

The bee stung Robert’s finger.

5. blew – blue      [bluː]

The wind blew the door open.

The color of the sky is blue.

6. buy – by      [baɪ]

Did you buy milk at the store?

We walked slowly by the bakery.

7. cent – sent – scent      [sent]

I spent my last cent for a new book.

Mom sent Jack to the store. Do you like the scent of roses?

8. dear – deer     [dɪə]

I wrote to one of my dear friends.

A baby deer is called a fawn.

9. fair – fare      [fer /feə]

It was a fair day when Jim started his trip.

Jim paid his own fare on the train.

10. grate – great      [greɪt]  

The grate in the stove is broken.

Mary looked at the spire on the great church.

11. hare – hair      [her /heə]  

The hare hopped into the forest.

John stood in front of the mirror to comb his hair.

12. hear – here        [hɪr /hɪə]  

Did you  hear the canary singing?

Your book is here on the table.

13. heard – herd       [hɜrd /hɜːd]  

I heard the chatter of a squirrel.

There is a herd of buffalo in this park.

14. hole – whole         [həʊl] 

I have a hole in my pocket.

The whole family went to the fair.

15. its – it’s        [ɪts]

The snake shed its skin.

It’s raining while the sun is shining.

16. knew – new        [nuː /njuː]

I knew how to work the math problem.

Jane bought a new book yesterday.

17. knot – not       [nɑt /nɒt]  

I tied a knot in my rope.

I’m not going to the show today.

18. know – no       [nəʊ]   

Does anyone know where the pencils are?

There are no pencils in the box.

19. one – won       [wʌn]  

Jack and Sue played one game of chess.

Who won the game?

20. sea – see      [sɪː] 

Have you ever been for a sail on the sea?

I can see the snow – covered mountain.

21. some – sum      [sʌm]  

There are some visitors in our class.

The sum is found by adding numbers.

22. son – sun        [sʌn] 

Mr. Rogers bought his son a new shirt.

The sun is shining brightly today.

23. stair – stare     [ster /steə]  

A board in the stair is broken.

Don’t sit and stare into space!

24. tail – tale      [teɪl] 

Lou’s dog has a short, stubby tail.

I read a tale about American Indians.

25. their – there     [ðer /ðə /ðeə(r) ]

Their house is made of lumber.

Our house is there on the corner.

26. threw – through      [θruː /θrəʊ ]

Alice threw the basketball.

Did the ball go through the hoop?

27. to – too – two       [tuː]

Joe went to the library.

He brought home too many books.

John went to the library, too.

John brought two books home.

28. weak – week      [wɪːk]   

You often feel weak after an illness.

Betty has been sick for a week.

29. who’s – whose          [huːz]

Who’s going to the library?

Whose book is this?

30. your – you’re           [jɔr ,jʊr /jɔː ,jʊə]  

Don’t forget your book.

You’re going to the library, aren’t you?