Vocabulary Worksheet · Grades 3–5
Word Families Worksheet
A printable vocabulary worksheet for grades 3-5 that builds the skill of producing related forms from a single base word. Students write a specific family member (noun, adjective, adverb, past tense, or -ing form) for 8 base words in Section A and pick the family member that fits 6 sentences in Section B. A complete answer key is included.
Subject
Vocabulary
Grades
Grades 3–5
Skill Focus
Word Families, word parts
Lesson Length
15 minutes
Lesson Overview
About this worksheet
A word family is a group of words that share the same base. The base stays put, but endings change the part of speech or the tense. PLAY can become PLAYER (noun), PLAYED (past), PLAYING (-ing), or PLAYFUL (adjective). Helping students see those connections makes spelling, reading, and writing all easier – one base word unlocks four or five new vocabulary words at once.
Section A gives students 8 base words (TEACH, HAPPY, WRITE, BEGIN, SING, FRIEND, DANCE, QUICK) with a specific directive next to each – ‘write the noun form’, ‘write the adjective form’, ‘write the adverb form (-LY)’, ‘write the past-tense verb’, or ‘write the present-participle (-ING) form’. Students write the correct family member on the answer line.
Section B raises the difficulty: students read a sentence with three family members in parentheses (teach / teacher / teaching) and pick the one that fits the sentence. The reference box at the top of page 1 defines word family and walks through PLAY -> player / played / playing / playful. Page 2 is a complete answer key in compact format.
How to Use This Lesson
Read the reference box aloud and act out the four PLAY family members with the class: PLAYER points to a person, PLAYED gestures behind (past), PLAYING gestures now, PLAYFUL describes a face.
Work Section A independently; remind students that the directive (‘noun form’, ‘adjective form’, ‘adverb form’, ‘past tense’, ‘-ING form’) tells them exactly which family member to write.
For Section B, model item 9 (‘The ____ explained the lesson clearly’) aloud and show how ‘explained the lesson’ tells you the blank needs a person (noun) – so TEACHER, not TEACH.
Use the answer key on page 2 for self-check or aide spot-check.
Pair with the Prefixes Worksheet, Suffixes Worksheet, or Root Words Worksheet for additional word-parts practice.
Printable Resource
A classroom-ready PDF with everything in one printable resource.
Full Member Resource · Printable PDF · 2 pages · Answer Key
Word Families Worksheet
A printable vocabulary worksheet for grades 3-5 that builds the skill of producing related forms from a single base word. Students write a specific family member (noun, adjective, adverb, past tense, or -ing form) for 8 base words in Section A and pick the family member that fits 6 sentences in Section B. A complete answer key is included.
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