How does this build vocabulary?

Every word carries a base: expense inside expensive, summary inside summarize. Kids who excavate bases turn one known word into a family of known words.

American English writes -ize (organize, realize); British English often writes -ise. Our sheets use the American spellings kids will be graded on.

5th grade suffixes -ive and -ize

5th grade suffixes -ive and -ize worksheets

Fifth graders use the suffixes to unpack meaning, finding the base inside each word, and to write with them: summarize a paragraph, describe an effective plan.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.6.4.b.

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

The kind of words you'll complete and sort

Fill in the missing letters to make a real word, then write the whole word in its column.

memorenergeffectnatmassapolog

Columns: -ive and -ize. Only ive turns "mass_" into a real word, so massive goes under -ive; Only ize turns "memor_" into a real word, so memorize goes under -ize.

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 22 words, 14 to a page. 5th and 6th grade print from the same 22 words. The teaching notes below are written for this grade. All 19 of 4th grade's words are here too, plus 3 more.

Some of the words:

activecreativenegativeattractiverealizeapologizerecognizemodernizevisualizeequalize

Complete and sort. Fill in the missing letters to make a real word, then write the whole word in its 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

Excavate bases together: what word hides in memorize? In attractive? Finding memory and attract shows the suffix building, and built words are remembered words.

Watch for: These suffixes have different JOBS, not just different letters: -ive words describe (an active dog), -ize words act (to apologize). Sorting by job is the deeper sort hiding inside the spelling sort. The buried base word is the meaning key: expensive hides expense, memorize hides memory. Excavating the base turns each word from vocabulary into sense.

Common questions about 5th grade suffixes -ive and -ize

How does this build vocabulary?: Every word carries a base: expense inside expensive, summary inside summarize. Kids who excavate bases turn one known word into a family of known words.
Is it -ize or -ise?: American English writes -ize (organize, realize); British English often writes -ise. Our sheets use the American spellings kids will be graded on.

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Aligned to Common Core L.6.4.b. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated August 2026.

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