Language Arts: Dictionary and Thesaurus Skills Worksheet

Question 1

A dictionary tells you many things about a word. Name two things you can learn from a dictionary entry.

Accepted Answer

A dictionary entry can tell the meaning of a word and how to spell it. It may also show how to say the word and how to use it in a sentence.

Question 2

Put these words in ABC order: turtle, apple, monkey, zebra.

Accepted Answer

The words in ABC order are apple, monkey, turtle, zebra.

Question 3

Look at these guide words from a dictionary page: garden and gold. Which word would be on this page: gift, grape, or house? Explain your choice.

Accepted Answer

Gift would be on this page because it comes after garden and before gold in ABC order.

Question 4

Read this dictionary entry: brave adjective: showing courage; not afraid to do something hard. Write a sentence using the word brave.

Accepted Answer

One correct sentence is: The brave firefighter rescued the kitten from the tree.

Question 5

Which word would you look up in the dictionary to find the meaning of running: run, runs, or runner?

Accepted Answer

You would look up run because dictionaries usually list the base word.

Question 6

A thesaurus helps you find synonyms. Choose the best synonym for happy: glad, loud, or tiny.

Accepted Answer

Glad is the best synonym for happy because both words mean feeling good or pleased.

Question 7

A thesaurus can also help you find antonyms. Choose the best antonym for hot: warm, cold, or sunny.

Accepted Answer

Cold is the best antonym for hot because it means the opposite.

Question 8

Use a thesaurus idea to replace the word big in this sentence with a stronger synonym: The elephant is big.

Accepted Answer

A stronger sentence is: The elephant is huge. Huge is a synonym for big.

Question 9

Look at these guide words: lake and lemon. Which two words would belong on this dictionary page: ladder, leaf, lion, kite?

Accepted Answer

Lake and leaf would belong on this page because they come between lake and lemon in ABC order. Ladder comes before lake, lion comes after lemon, and kite comes before lake.

Question 10

The word bark can mean the sound a dog makes or the outside covering of a tree. Write one sentence using bark to mean the sound a dog makes.

Accepted Answer

One correct sentence is: I heard the dog bark when the doorbell rang.

Question 11

Choose the best thesaurus word to make the sentence more exact: The rabbit moved across the grass. Options: hopped, slept, cooked.

Accepted Answer

Hopped is the best choice because rabbits often move by hopping across the grass.

Question 12

You want to find the word pencil in a dictionary. Which guide word pair should you choose: paper to puppy, rain to river, or tree to truck? Explain your answer.

Accepted Answer

You should choose paper to puppy because pencil comes after paper and before puppy in ABC order.

Language Arts: Dictionary and Thesaurus Skills

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