What does sieve mean?
Word: Sieve
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Sieve means a kitchen tool with a mesh full of tiny holes. It lets liquid or fine flour through and holds back bigger bits.
Synonyms: strainer
How do you spell sieve?
Syllables: sieve
Tricky part: Sieve is said like siv, but it is spelt with ie and a silent e at the end. Seive, with e before i, is the most common mistake.
Watch out for: seive, siv, seeve
Memory tip: Sieve starts like sit, with s-i. Then add eve, which reads the same backwards and forwards: s-i-eve.
Idioms and Phrases
- a memory like a sieve: A habit of forgetting things easily. Example: "I have a memory like a sieve; I forgot my lunch box again."
Sieve in a sentence
Example 1: Mummy poured the tea through a sieve to catch the leaves.
Example 2: Grandpa uses a big sieve to clean the wheat before it is ground.
Example 3: Water ran out of the sieve, but the washed rice stayed in.
Fun Fact
Scientists use stacks of sieves with smaller and smaller holes to sort soil into grains of different sizes.
Practise the CREST Way
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
e v s i e 1 2 3 4 5
a) 32145
b) 35124
c) 43125
d) 34125
Show answer
d) 34125. Letter 3 is s, then i, e, v and e follow.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
Grandma shook the flour through a ______ to take out the lumps.
a) shovel
b) saucer
c) sieve
d) sleeve
Show answer
c) sieve. Flour is shaken through a sieve; a sleeve is part of a shirt.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) ladle : soup
b) grater : cheeze
c) whisk : eggs
d) sieve : flour
Show answer
b) grater : cheeze. Cheese is spelt with ee and then se.
Spellacadabra
From which option does a letter need to be removed to make a meaningful word?
a) colander
b) spatulla
c) sieve
d) kettle
Show answer
b) spatulla. Spatula has a single l.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these jobs would you use a sieve for?
a) heating milk
b) chopping onions
c) draining boiled pasta
d) frying an egg
Show answer
c) draining boiled pasta
2. A kitchen sieve is most often made of ______.
a) thick glass
b) thin metal wire
c) soft wool
d) solid wood
Show answer
b) thin metal wire
