8th grade analogies worksheets

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An analogy states a relationship and asks you to repeat it. Eighth grade adds relationships that take a second look: lack (destitute is to money), characteristic (a miser is stingy), manner (a scrawl is a messy way to write), and word form (deep is to depth). The words are harder too, so a student often has to know two new words before the relationship shows.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.8.5.b.

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.

  1. Hilt is to sword as handle is to . blade · knife · chef

    Answer: knife

  2. Sculptor is to statue as weaver is to . loom · thread · tapestry
  3. Oxygen is to element as salt is to . compound · ocean · flavor

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 an 8th grade sheet

8th grade sheets draw from 71 sentences, 10 to a page. None of these sentences are on 7th grade sheets.

Some of the answers:

parcheddevastatedformwheelaxeindigestionsnowdriftperformancesurgerybeat

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

How to teach this

The full-sentence habit still does most of the work, and in eighth grade the sentence has to be exact. Destitute is to money is not about money in general. It is about having none, so ignorant is to knowledge fits and ignorant is to patience does not. When your student misses one, ask for the relationship sentence they used. The mistake is almost always a sentence that was too loose. Lack and manner analogies deserve extra practice, since at first glance they look like other relationships.

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 8th grade analogies

What is new in the eighth grade analogies?
Four relationships: lack, characteristic, manner, and word form. They sit alongside the seventh grade types (degree, worker and tool, cause, category, symbol), so every print mixes old and new.
What is a lack analogy?
One where the first word describes something missing the second. A destitute person has no money, and an ignorant person has no knowledge. Students often read these as opposites at first, which is why they are worth practicing.
How do I help when my student is stuck?
Ask them to say how the first two words connect as a full sentence. Once that sentence is exact, try each choice in it. The right one fits, and the other two sound wrong out loud.

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Aligned to Common Core L.8.5.b. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.

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