4th grade similes and metaphors worksheets

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Similes and metaphors both compare two unlike things: a simile signals it with like or as (slept like a log), while a metaphor states it outright (homework is a mountain). Fourth graders sort figurative phrases by which tool they use.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.4.5.a.

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

The kind of phrases you'll sort

Write each phrase from the bank under Simile or Metaphor.

the gym was a beehivethe garden is a rainbowas sly as a foxhis room is a pigstyas sweet as honeyas free as a birdtime is a thiefas smooth as silk

Columns: Simile and Metaphor. "as sweet as honey" belongs under simile; "time is a thief" belongs under metaphor.

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

What's on a 4th grade sheet

4th grade sheets draw from 60 phrases, 14 to a page. 4th to 6th grade print from the same 60 phrases. The teaching notes below are written for this grade. None of these phrases are on 3rd grade sheets.

Some of the words:

brave as a lionas quick as a winkeats like a birdas flat as a pancakeher voice is musicthe sun is a golden ballthe road was a silver ribbonthe hall was a river of kidsher temper is a volcanothe night sky is velvet

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

How to teach this

Teach the mechanical test first: hunt for like or as. Then make sure the idea behind it lands by asking what the two things have in common. A student who can say why a fog is like a blanket owns the figure; a student who only circles the word as owns a trick.

Watch for: Like or as is the tell for a simile, but the words must build a comparison; 'I like pizza' isn't one. A metaphor isn't a lie; nobody thinks the room is literally a zoo. It's a picture painted with a claim.

Common questions about 4th grade similes and metaphors

What's the quick test for simile versus metaphor?
Look for like or as. If the comparison uses either word, it's a simile; if it flat-out says one thing is another, it's a metaphor. The test takes two seconds and works on nearly every example a 4th grader will meet.
Does every sentence with "like" contain a simile?
No, and it's a favorite trick question. "I like pancakes" uses like as a verb, not a comparison. A simile needs two unlike things being compared: "flat as a pancake" qualifies; simply liking pancakes does not.

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Aligned to Common Core L.4.5.a. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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