What figurative language should a 5th grader know?

Seven figures cover most of what fifth grade reading asks for: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, idiom, onomatopoeia and alliteration. The fifth grade language standard asks children to read similes and metaphors in context and to know common idioms, so naming the figure and saying what the line really means is the core skill.

Can one line use two figures of speech?

In books, often. On this sheet, no. Each line was written so that only one of its three names fits, which gives your child one answer to find and a reason to rule out the other two.

5th grade figurative language

5th grade figurative language worksheets

Fifth grade figurative language worksheets put seven figures of speech on one page: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, idiom, onomatopoeia and alliteration. Each line uses one of them. Your child reads the line and writes the name of the figure, picking from three names in parentheses. A second sheet has the same lines as a circle-the-letter test.

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

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

The kind of sentences you'll fix

Write the name of the figure of speech each line uses. Choose from the words in parentheses.

Mila’s red kite darted across the sky like a swallow. This line uses (onomatopoeia / personification / simile).
Fixed: Mila’s red kite darted across the sky like a swallow. This line uses simile.
The laundry basket waited patiently by the door for someone to carry it upstairs. This line uses (idiom / onomatopoeia / personification).
The thunderstorm cloud was a dark mountain rising over the cornfield. This line uses (hyperbole / metaphor / simile).

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, 8 to a page. None of these sentences are on 4th grade sheets.

A few of the sentences:

In the last inning, Lily’s glove was a fishing net that scooped up two hard grounders.
Under the microscope, the thin slice of cork was a honeycomb of tiny cells.
Hold your horses! The cookies need ten more minutes in the oven.

Write the figure. Write the name of the figure of speech each line uses. Choose from the words in parentheses. 8 sentences to fix per page.
Which figure?. Circle the letter of the figure of speech each line uses. 10 questions per page.

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

How to teach this

Give your child one question for each figure. Is there a like or an as? Is a thing acting like a person? Is it too big to be true? Is it a saying you can't work out word by word? Is it a sound? Do three words start with the same sound? The names in parentheses are picked to make a real choice, like simile or metaphor. When your child misses one, ask why the other name doesn't fit. Read the sound lines out loud.

Watch for: A sound word is not personification. A door that creaks is onomatopoeia, because doors really do creak. A printer that refuses to print is personification, because refusing is something people do. Like and as only make a simile when two different things are compared. My shoes are like yours compares two pairs of shoes, so it is not a simile. Alliteration follows the first sound, not the first letter. Kai's cat climbed repeats one k sound, but cold cereal does not, because the c in cereal sounds like s.

Common questions about 5th grade figurative language

What figurative language should a 5th grader know?: Seven figures cover most of what fifth grade reading asks for: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, idiom, onomatopoeia and alliteration. The fifth grade language standard asks children to read similes and metaphors in context and to know common idioms, so naming the figure and saying what the line really means is the core skill.
Can one line use two figures of speech?: In books, often. On this sheet, no. Each line was written so that only one of its three names fits, which gives your child one answer to find and a reason to rule out the other two.

Related worksheets

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

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