2nd grade suffixes worksheets
A suffix is a word part attached to the end of a base word. Second graders start with the friendly five: -ful (full of), -less (without), -er (a person who), -ly (in that way), and -y (like or covered with).
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.2.4.c.
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The kind of sentences you'll get
Circle the letter of the word with the correct suffix.
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Every good keeps a book nearby.
readful · reader · readless
Answer: reader
- Grandma’s garden is in June. colorless · colorly · colorful
- We are for the warm meal. thankful · thankless · thankly
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
- Choose the word. Circle the letter of the word with the correct suffix. 8 questions per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Anchor each suffix to one plain meaning and one example your child owns: -ful is full of (a joyful baby), -less is without (a treeless desert), -er is the person who does it (a baker bakes). Then flip it: say a definition ("a person who paints") and let them build the word.
Watch for: -ful and -less are opposites on the same base: hopeful means full of hope, hopeless means without it. A suffix can change a word's job in the sentence: teach is an action, teacher is a person.
Common questions about suffixes
- Which suffixes come first?
- The five with pictures built in: -ful, -less, -er, -ly, and -y. They attach to words 2nd graders already know (help, care, run, slow, mud) and each has one clear meaning. That transparency is what makes them the standard starting set.
- What's the difference between -ful and -less?
- They're opposites bolted onto the same base. Hopeful is full of hope; hopeless is without it. Kids enjoy flipping words back and forth, and the pair teaches the bigger idea that the ending carries real meaning.
Related worksheets
- 3rd grade suffixes A step harder, same skill
- 4th grade suffixes A step harder, same skill
- 2nd grade antonyms Same grade, nearby skill
- 2nd grade compound words Same grade, nearby skill
- 2nd grade homophones Same grade, nearby skill
- Suffixes, 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.2.4.c. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 137, updated August 2026.
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