2nd grade identifying nouns worksheets
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or animal. Second graders practice finding every noun in a sentence, not just the first one: in "The teacher opened the window," both "teacher" and "window" are nouns.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.1.1.b.
A new sheet every click.
The kind of sentences you'll get
Underline every noun in each sentence.
-
The students molded wet clay into round bowls.
Answer: students
- Golden leaves fluttered from the old maple.
- The waiters were carrying heavy trays.
Every print pulls a fresh set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.
What's on each sheet
- Identify. Underline every noun in each sentence. 10 questions per page.
- Multiple choice. Circle the letter of the word that is a noun. 8 questions per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Ask "who or what is in this sentence?" for every sentence, and count the nouns before marking them. Kids at this age reliably catch the first noun and stop, so the habit to build is checking the whole sentence to the period. Sorting found nouns into person, place, thing, or animal keeps the definition alive while they work.
Watch for: A word can name an action in one sentence and a thing in another. In 'We watch the play', play is a noun. Nouns are not always things you can touch. Words like morning and game are nouns too.
Common questions about identifying nouns
- What is a noun for a 2nd grader?
- A naming word. If it names a person (teacher), a place (kitchen), a thing (window), or an animal (puppy), it's a noun. A good check is to put "a" or "the" in front: "the window" sounds right, so window is a noun.
- How many nouns are in a sentence?
- Usually more than one. Most simple sentences have a noun doing the action and another noun receiving it or naming where it happens. Our worksheets ask students to find them all, which is the part that takes practice.
Related worksheets
- Kindergarten identifying nouns A step easier, same skill
- 1st grade identifying nouns A step easier, same skill
- 2nd grade action verbs Same grade, nearby skill
- 2nd grade adverbs of how, when, and where Same grade, nearby skill
- 2nd grade articles (a, an, the) Same grade, nearby skill
- Identifying nouns, all grades The full progression
- All 2nd grade English worksheets Every skill at this level
- All 2nd grade worksheets Everything at this level
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Aligned to Common Core L.1.1.b. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 137, updated August 2026.
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