Why do analogies show up on so many tests?

Because they test two things at once: vocabulary and reasoning. A student can know every word in "scarce is to plentiful" and still miss it without naming the relationship. Practicing the naming habit is what moves scores, and it transfers far beyond word lists.

What's the difference between the 4th and 5th grade sheets?

New relation types and heavier words. Fifth grade adds cause and effect, degree (annoyed is to furious), and workers with their tools and products, with vocabulary a notch up. The format stays the same, so the habit built in 4th grade carries straight over.

5th grade analogies

5th grade analogies worksheets

Fifth graders meet the relations standardized tests love: cause and effect (spark is to fire), degree (damp is to soaked), and workers with their tools and products. The vocabulary stiffens too; solving an analogy now often teaches two words at once.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.5.5.c.

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

The kind of sentences you'll get

Work out how the first pair of words fits together. Then circle the letter of the word that completes the second pair the same way.

Fisherman is to net as astronomer is to . planet · starlight · telescope
Answer: telescope
Carpenter is to saw as surgeon is to . bandage · scalpel · stethoscope
Jog is to sprint as stroll is to . march · stand · crawl

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 5th grade sheet

5th grade sheets draw from 60 sentences, 10 to a page. None of these sentences are on 4th grade sheets.

Some of the answers:

excitedtinyhonesteasypermanentboastfulfaminescorchingchiseldistance

Choose the word. Work out how the first pair of words fits together. Then circle the letter of the word that completes the second pair the same way. 10 questions per page.

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

How to teach this

When two choices both seem to fit, the relationship sentence is the tiebreaker: make it precise until only one survives. Wrong answers on these sheets are usually words related to the third word in some OTHER way, which is exactly the trap naming the relation defuses.

Watch for: The answer isn't the word that goes best with the third word alone; it's the word that repeats the FIRST pair's relationship. Puppy and bone go together, but kitten-to-cat isn't about food. Name the relationship out loud before looking at the choices (a baby and its grown-up, a worker and a tool, opposites). If you can't say the relationship, you're guessing.

Common questions about 5th grade analogies

Why do analogies show up on so many tests?: Because they test two things at once: vocabulary and reasoning. A student can know every word in "scarce is to plentiful" and still miss it without naming the relationship. Practicing the naming habit is what moves scores, and it transfers far beyond word lists.
What's the difference between the 4th and 5th grade sheets?: New relation types and heavier words. Fifth grade adds cause and effect, degree (annoyed is to furious), and workers with their tools and products, with vocabulary a notch up. The format stays the same, so the habit built in 4th grade carries straight over.

Related worksheets

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Aligned to Common Core L.5.5.c. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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