5th grade connotation and denotation worksheets
Fifth graders sort near-synonyms by their glow: slender or scrawny, curious or nosy, thrifty or stingy, meeting L.5.5.c through pairs that share a core meaning and split an attitude.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.5.5.c.
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The kind of words you'll sort
Write each word from the bank in the correct column.
childishcuriousvintagegossipyassertiveboldnosylazy
Columns: warm glow and cold glow. "assertive" belongs under warm glow; "nosy" belongs under cold glow.
Every print pulls a new set of words 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 30 words, 14 to a page. 5th and 6th grade print from the same 30 words. What changes is the standard (L.5.5.c here) and the teaching notes below.
Some of the words:
slenderconfidentdeterminedyouthfulcozyoutgoingstubbornodorsneakyoutdated
- Sorting. Write each word from the bank in the correct column. 14 words per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Test each word in the compliment frame: 'You are so ___.' Words that flatter go in the warm column; words that would start an argument go cold. The frame makes the invisible glow audible.
Watch for: The words in each pair share a core meaning, and the sort is about their glow. Some cold words also add meaning of their own: collude means working together in secret, for a bad reason, which collaborate never says. Notice when a word changes the facts as well as the feeling. Neither glow is bad to use: writers need cold words for cold moments. The skill is knowing the temperature before you serve the word.
Common questions about 5th grade connotation and denotation
- What are connotation and denotation?
- Denotation is the dictionary meaning; connotation is the feeling riding along. Slender and scrawny both denote thin, but one warms and one chills.
- Why sort by glow?
- Because the glow is the actual difference in these pairs. Sorting attitude trains the ear that word choice runs on.
Related worksheets
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- 5th grade adages and proverbs Same grade, nearby skill
- 5th grade analogies Same grade, nearby skill
- 5th grade context clues Same grade, nearby skill
- Connotation and denotation, 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.c. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.
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