5th grade adages and proverbs worksheets
Fifth graders explain each proverb's advice in plain words and match sayings to fresh situations.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.5.5.b.
A new sheet every click.
The kind of sentences you'll fix
Complete the saying: choose the ending that fits, and write it on the line.
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Saving my allowance was slow, but slow and steady (catches the worm / spoils the broth / wins the race).
Fixed: Saving my allowance was slow, but slow and steady wins the race.
- My brother finally apologized first. It takes two (to mango / to tangle / to tango).
- Fix the small pothole now; an ounce of prevention (is worth a pound of cure / saves nine stitches / spoils no broth).
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
- Fix it. Complete the saying: choose the ending that fits, and write it on the line. 8 sentences to fix per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Trade family sayings: every household has proverbs of its own, in every language. Adding Grandma's sayings to the collection honors them and teaches the genre at the same time.
Watch for: Proverbs are advice, not descriptions: each one exists to guide a choice. Matching the saying to the situation is matching advice to a problem. Some proverbs argue with each other (many hands make light work; too many cooks spoil the broth). Both are true in different situations, and knowing WHICH situation is the actual skill.
Common questions about adages and proverbs
- How do these sheets test understanding?
- The context forces the choice: a story about rushing wants haste makes waste, not the early bird. Completing the saying proves the advice was understood.
- Do proverbs translate across languages?
- Beautifully; most cultures have a cousin for each. Asking a grandparent for theirs turns this worksheet into a family conversation.
Related worksheets
- 4th grade adages and proverbs A step easier, same skill
- 6th grade adages and proverbs A step harder, same skill
- 5th grade absorbed prefixes (im-, il-, ir-) Same grade, nearby skill
- 5th grade analogies Same grade, nearby skill
- 5th grade connotation and denotation Same grade, nearby skill
- Adages and proverbs, all grades The full progression
- All 5th grade English worksheets Every skill at this level
- All 5th grade worksheets Everything at this level
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Aligned to Common Core L.5.5.b. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 179, updated August 2026.
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