How is this different from the compound words sheet without pictures?

That one works from printed words and sentences. This one gives the two parts as pictures, so the child builds the word from meaning instead of reading it first. One skill per sheet, two ways in.

Do the pictures give the spelling away?

No. The pictures name the two parts and nothing on the sheet spells them, so the whole word on the line is written from what the child hears and knows.

2nd grade picture compound words

2nd grade picture compound words worksheets

Compound words are the second-grade way into long words: if you can see foot and ball inside football, you can read it and spell it. Each row here gives a picture of each part and a line for the whole word, so the compound is written out rather than matched.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.2.4.d.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of words you'll build

Name both pictures. Push the two words together and write the compound word on the line.

star
fish
bird
house
cup
cake

Each row is a picture of the first word, a picture of the second, and a line for the word they make. The key lists the compound words with the two words inside each one.

Every print pulls a new set of compound words at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 2nd grade sheet

2nd grade sheets draw from 13 compound words, 8 to a page. 1st and 2nd grade print from the same 13 compound words. What changes is the standard (L.2.4.d here) and the teaching notes below.

Some of the words:

cupcakepancakedoghousebirdhousemailboxladybugrainbowcowboyseahorsebutterfly

Two words, one word. Name both pictures. Push the two words together and write the compound word on the line. 8 compound words per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Ask what the compound means once it is written. A doghouse is a house for a dog, but a starfish is not a fish at all (it is a sea animal shaped like a star), and a butterfly is not a fly made of butter. Noticing which compounds explain themselves and which do not is the vocabulary half of this standard.

Watch for: Leaving a space or adding a hyphen. A compound word is one word, so sun flower and sun-flower are not what the line is asking for. Changing a letter to make it look right. Both parts keep their own spelling, even when the joined word sounds different from the two halves. Putting the parts in the wrong order. Ballfoot is not a word. The first picture is the first part, left to right, the way the row is read.

Common questions about 2nd grade picture compound words

How is this different from the compound words sheet without pictures?: That one works from printed words and sentences. This one gives the two parts as pictures, so the child builds the word from meaning instead of reading it first. One skill per sheet, two ways in.
Do the pictures give the spelling away?: No. The pictures name the two parts and nothing on the sheet spells them, so the whole word on the line is written from what the child hears and knows.

Related worksheets

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Aligned to Common Core L.2.4.d. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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