3rd grade action verbs worksheets
An action verb tells what someone or something does. Third grade sentences can hold two actions joined by "and," and some actions come with a helper, as in "is training." Students underline every action verb, including the quiet ones like watched or waited.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.3.1.a.
Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.
Need one more? These are the skills next door at this grade.
The kind of sentences you'll get
Underline every action verb in each sentence.
-
The skaters are gliding across the ice.
Answer: gliding
- Ava swam across the cool pool with her friends.
- They rested on a log after their hike.
Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.
What's on a 3rd grade sheet
3rd grade sheets draw from 316 sentences, 12 to a page. 138 of the 316 aren't on 2nd grade sheets. The other 178 are. 2nd grade sheets print 10 to a page.
Some of the words to find:
solvedcutdrewrepairedstoppedrumbledruledbuiltbrushingwrapped
- Identify. Underline every action verb in each sentence. 12 questions per page.
- Multiple choice. Circle the letter of the word that is the action verb. 10 questions per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Ask "what happened?" and then "anything else?" Third grade sentences often have two actions ("Dad grilled corn, and Mom squeezed lemonade"), and the second one is the one kids miss. When a verb has a helper, like "is training," the action is training. The helper word is, are, or was only tells when. Acting the verb out still works at this age.
Watch for: A sentence can have two action verbs. Keep reading after you find the first one. In 'is training', training is the action verb. Is is a helping verb, and it isn't underlined on this sheet.
Common questions about 3rd grade action verbs
- What is an action verb for a 3rd grader?
- The word that tells what someone or something does: swooped, sharpened, repairs. A 3rd grade sentence can have two of them, as in "The twins raced upstairs and hid behind the curtains." Both raced and hid are action verbs.
- Do helping verbs count on this sheet?
- No. In "Comets are streaking across the sky," streaking is the action verb and are is the helper. The sheet underlines streaking only. Helping verbs have their own worksheets.
Related worksheets
- 2nd grade action verbs A step easier, same skill
- 4th grade action verbs A step harder, same skill
- 3rd grade abstract and concrete nouns Same grade, nearby skill
- 3rd grade adjective or adverb? Same grade, nearby skill
- 3rd grade adverbs of how, when, and where Same grade, nearby skill
- Action verbs, all grades The full progression
- All 3rd grade English worksheets Every skill at this level
- All 3rd grade worksheets Everything at this level
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Aligned to Common Core L.3.1.a. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.
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