5th grade combining sentences worksheets
Fifth grade combining worksheets practice L.5.3.a directly: combine and reduce sentences for meaning and style. Your child writes the combination on the line, folding repeated words away. The key shows the tightest correct version, and other correct joins earn full credit.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.5.3.a.
A new sheet every click.
The kind of sentences you'll fix
Read the two sentences. Write one sentence that combines them. Use a joining word.
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The team studied the playbook. The team ran the drill again.
Fixed: The team studied the playbook and ran the drill again.
- The comet brightened each night. The whole town watched.
- The dough rose overnight. The kitchen smelled like a bakery.
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. Read the two sentences. Write one sentence that combines them. Use a joining word. 8 sentences to fix per page.
- Choose the sentence. Read the two sentences. Circle the letter of the sentence that combines them best. 8 questions per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Push for tightness. After each item, ask: could any word still fold away? The standard at this grade is combining AND reducing, so the best answer is the shortest sentence that keeps the whole meaning. Their own writing is the real test: two choppy sentences in a draft are an invitation to practice.
Watch for: Kids glue sentences with just a comma: 'Ben has a kite, Ben has a drum.' That is a comma splice. Joining needs a joining word, or the repeats folded away. Kids pick and for everything. And adds, but pushes back, or offers a choice, so gives a result. Reading the combined sentence aloud with the wrong word usually exposes it.
Common questions about combining sentences
- Which standard is this?
- L.5.3.a: expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader interest, and style. The reduce half is why fifth grade answers are the tightest version, not just a legal one.
- How does this help beyond worksheets?
- Sentence combining is one of the best-studied ways to improve student writing, and the written form is the one that transfers: spot two choppy sentences in a draft, fold the repeat, write the join that fits.
Related worksheets
- 2nd grade combining sentences A step easier, same skill
- 3rd grade combining sentences A step easier, same skill
- 4th grade combining sentences A step easier, same skill
- 5th grade complex sentences Same grade, nearby skill
- 5th grade independent and dependent clauses Same grade, nearby skill
- 5th grade run-on sentences Same grade, nearby skill
- Combining sentences, 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.5.3.a. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 178, updated August 2026.
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