Vocabulary Worksheet · Grades 5–7
Greek and Latin Roots Worksheet
A printable vocabulary worksheet for grades 5-7 that builds the high-yield skill of using Greek and Latin roots to unlock the meaning of longer English words. Students write the meaning of the root in 8 single-word items in Section A and use brief clue sentences to write the meaning of 6 more roots in Section B. A complete answer key is included.
Subject
Vocabulary
Grades
Grades 5–7
Skill Focus
Greek and Latin Roots, word parts
Lesson Length
20 minutes
Lesson Overview
About this worksheet
A ROOT is the central part of a word that carries its main meaning. Many of the longer words in English are built on roots that come from two older languages – GREEK and LATIN. Once students know a few common roots, the meaning of a long, unfamiliar word becomes much less intimidating. This worksheet is a tool for that decoding skill: every item names the LANGUAGE of origin so students start to associate certain roots with Greek (often science and measurement words) and others with Latin (often everyday words from law, government, and daily life).
Section A on page 1 has 8 single-word items in a single-column layout. Four are Greek roots (hydr, chron, micro, morph) and four are Latin roots (terra, nov, cred, bene). Each item gives the WORD (hydrant, chronicle, microscope, morphology, terrain, novel, credible, benevolent) and names the root and its language; the student writes the root’s meaning in one or two words.
Section B on page 1 has 6 more items in the same single-column layout. Each item gives a short clue sentence stating what a word means (BIBLIOPHILE means a lover of books) and asks the student to write what the root means (biblio = book). The 6 Section B roots (biblio, pop, poly, mal, gram, liber) are entirely different from the 8 Section A roots, so students see 14 distinct roots in a single worksheet. The reference box at the top of the page defines roots and walks through one Greek example (PHON = sound, as in telephone) and one Latin example (REG = rule, as in regulation). Page 2 is a complete answer key in compact format.
How to Use This Lesson
Read the reference box aloud. Point out the bold word ROOT and the two languages – GREEK and LATIN. Note that the Greek example PHON shows up in telephone and microphone; the Latin example REG shows up in regulation and regular.
Walk through Section A item 1 (hydrant – the Greek root hydr means) together. Show students how to break hydrant: hydr + ant. The root hydr means WATER.
Assign the rest of Section A independently. Circulate to make sure students are reading the LANGUAGE label and not guessing the meaning from English alone.
Work Section B item 9 (BIBLIOPHILE means a lover of books – what does biblio mean?) together. Show that the clue sentence tells the student that the WORD means lover of books, so the root biblio must mean BOOK.
Use Section B item 13 (TELEGRAM – what does gram mean?) for closure: telegram = far + write, so gram means WRITE.
Use the answer key on page 2 for self-check or aide spot-check.
Pair with the Root Words Worksheet (vocabulary – Word Parts) for a broader root vocabulary, or the Prefixes Worksheet and Suffixes Worksheet for the other two parts of a complete word-attack toolkit.
Printable Resource
A classroom-ready PDF with everything in one printable resource.
Free Member Resource · Printable PDF · 2 pages · Answer Key
Greek and Latin Roots Worksheet
A printable vocabulary worksheet for grades 5-7 that builds the high-yield skill of using Greek and Latin roots to unlock the meaning of longer English words. Students write the meaning of the root in 8 single-word items in Section A and use brief clue sentences to write the meaning of 6 more roots in Section B. A complete answer key is included.
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