Connotation and denotation worksheets

By grade

• 5th Grade Right on level
• 6th Grade A step harder

What students need to know

Denotation is a word's dictionary meaning. Connotation is its glow. Slender and scrawny both mean thin; one compliments, one insults.

This skill runs from 5th grade through 6th grade. Pick a grade above for level-matched sentences, teaching notes, and worksheets.

Connotation and denotation across the grades

5th grade

Fifth graders sort near-synonyms by their glow: confident or bossy, curious or nosy, thrifty or stingy, meeting L.5.5.c through pairs that share a meaning and split an attitude.

6th grade

Sixth graders sort quickly, explain the glow difference in each pair, and spot connotation steering opinion in ads and headlines, which is where the skill turns into armor.