Vocabulary · Critical Thinking · Grades 3–5
Analogies
Three printable analogy practice worksheets for grades 3–5. Students identify how word pairs relate, then find a word that completes a third pair in the same way. Includes answer keys.
Subject
Vocabulary / Critical Thinking
Grades
3–5
Skill Focus
Analogies, word relationships, vocabulary, critical thinking
Lesson Length
20–30 minutes
Reading Passage
What Is an Analogy?
An analogy shows a relationship between two pairs of words. The words in the first pair go together in a specific way. To complete an analogy, you must figure out how they go together, and then find a word that goes with a third word in the same way.
For example: Sun : Yellow :: Grass : ? The sun is yellow. So grass is green. The answer is green, because the relationship is “thing : its color.”
Another example: Baseball : Bat :: Tennis : ? You use a bat to play baseball. You use a racket to play tennis. The answer is racket, because the relationship is “sport : equipment.”
Analogies build vocabulary and help students recognize patterns in language. Practicing analogies is also a key skill on standardized tests like the SAT and many state assessments.
Printable Resources
Printable PDF · 6 pages
Analogies Worksheets (Sets 1, 2, and 3)
Three analogy practice sets with answer keys. Each set has 10 analogy problems using vocabulary appropriate for grades 3–5.
More Vocabulary Worksheets
Want teaching strategies for this lesson?
Read: Teaching Analogies
How to teach analogies as a relational thinking skill: the bridge sentence routine, the ten common relationship types, the most common student errors, and a 5-day mini-unit.