Synonyms and Antonyms What is the difference between a synonym and an antonym? Synonyms are words that have the same or a similar meaning. E.g. angry furious; kind generous; quick rapid Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. E.g. above below; narrow wide; useful - useless Circle the two synonyms for each set of words below: 1. energetic generous busy idle 2. unhappy mad insane peculiar 3. sleepy lethargic pathetic courteous 4. endeavor thankfulness stationary appreciation 5. isolation border doubtful hesitant Write a synonym for each word below: 1. tasty - 4. small - 2. begin - 5. thin - 3. ugly - 6. happy - Rewrite the paragraph by replacing the underlined words with a synonym from the word box below: stirring exhausted delectable searching cookies snooze jar sofa slipped My mother was so tired after work, she took a nap on the couch. While she was sleeping I snuck into the kitchen and headed straight for the store cupboard. I knew what I was looking for the most delicious chocolate biscuits! My hand was deep inside the container when suddenly I heard my mom moving in the other room 1
Synonyms and Antonyms Write whether each pair of words below are synonyms or antonyms: 1. agree, disagree 2. cold, freezing 3. argue, squabble 4. tired, energetic 5. sink, float 6. windy, calm Underline the antonyms in the sentences below: 1. Lions are wild, but dogs are tame. 2. The eagle has a strong beak; however the pigeon has a weak beak. 3. Hadedas are noisy, but mice are silent. 4. The buffalo has coarse hair while the horse s hair is silky. Choose the correct antonym from the word box to complete the sentences below: difficult sour open bright lazy slow dry short rough cold young new 1. The glass is smooth, but the sandpaper is. 2. Addition is easy, but division is. 3. The door is closed, but the window is. 4. The dessert is sweet, but the lemon is. 2
Synonyms and Antonyms Read the following fable and answer the questions that follow: Once upon a time, there was a flock of doves that flew in search of food led by their king. One day, they had flown a long distance and were very tired. The dove king encouraged them to fly a little further. The smallest dove picked up speed and found some rice scattered beneath a banyan tree. So all the doves landed and began to eat. Suddenly a net fell over them and they were all trapped. They saw a hunter approaching carrying a huge club. The doves desperately fluttered their wings trying to get out, but to no avail. The king had an idea. He advised all the doves to fly up together carrying the net with them. He said that there was strength in unity. Each dove picked up a portion of the net and together they flew off carrying the net with them. The hunter looked up in astonishment. He tried to follow them, but they were flying high over hills and valleys. They flew to a hill near a city of temples where there lived a mouse who could help them. He was a faithful friend of the dove king. When the mouse heard the loud noise of their approach, he went into hiding. The dove king gently called out to him and then the mouse was happy to see him. The dove king explained that they had been caught in a trap and needed the mouse s help to gnaw at the net with his teeth and set them free. The mouse agreed saying that he would set the king free first. The king insisted that he first free his subjects and the king last. The mouse understood the king s feelings and complied with his wishes. He began to cut the net and one by one all the doves were freed including the dove king. They all thanked the mouse and flew away together, united in their strength. 1. Find antonyms for the following words in the passage above: a) queen - e) down - b) night - f) dishonest - c) finished - g) unhappy- d) tiny - h) soft- 2. Find synonyms for the following words in the passage above: a) motivated - e) shrines - b) discovered - f) described - c) power - g) unbound- d) amazement - h) unified- 3
Soundalikes Homonyms are words spelt and pronounced in an identical way, but they have different meanings and functions. E.g. The dog has a loud bark. The bark of the tree is rough. Homophones are words that are pronounced in the same way, but they have different meanings and spellings. E.g. He travelled by plane. The meal is plain, not spicy. Homographs are words that have the exact same spelling, but different meanings. Sometimes they are pronounced differently, sometimes the pronunciation is the same E.g. rose a flower; rose to get up (past tense) minute tiny; minute measurement of time Underline the correct homophone/s to complete each sentence: 1. Our whole family packed our beach clothes and took a trip to the (see / sea). 2. John s mom let him (grate / great) the cheese for the lasagna. 3. The (sent / scent / cent) of freshly cut lavender filled the room. 4. After many hours of studying, I had to take a (break / brake). 5. (Meet / Meat) me at Wimpy for breakfast. 6. Many of the children were wearing (knew / new) boots for the soccer match. 7. Suzie has been a (dear / deer) friend since we were very young. 8. They had to stay in bed (four / for) a few days to recover from the (flew / flu). Read the story below. Look out for homophones which have been used incorrectly. Complete the table below: (an example has been provided) Once upon a time their was a girl called Andy. Her hole name was Andrea, but she only liked people calling her Andy. One day, she was very board because it was winter and all of her friends were on holiday. She decided too go on an adventure. The only problem was Andy didn t no what to look for on her adventure. Then she remembered a story about a creature with huge clause and read eyes that her brother Matt had told her. Matt had told her the tail when she was much younger. The creature was supposed to hide in the thicket of trees at the end of the rode, but you could here it howl allowed in bad weather. Andy decided to start the search 4
Soundalikes E.g. their Incorrect word there Correct homophone Circle the correct meaning for the homograph in bold in each sentence below: 1. Sipho says that he can go on the outing next week. a) To have permission b) To preserve in a sealed container 2. The sky looks blue and clear the perfect weather for a day at the beach. a) Free from darkness or cloudiness b) Easily seen or understood 3. Mzisi s father had to park the car before they could get out. a) An area of land used for recreation b) To leave a vehicle in a certain location 4. The scientist asked the geology students to identify the type of rock. a) A stone made of mineral matter b) To move or sway from side to side 5. There were so many dirty dishes left in the sink. a) A basin joined to a water supply b) To move down lower usually in water Write the homograph that completes both sentences: 1. Take a when you finish your performance. Tie a around the gift. 2. I was hoping to sit in the back of the class. The boys had to the boat across the lake. 5
Soundalikes 3. My dad had to pay a for speeding in the car. Yesterday Gideon was sick, but today he feels. 4. The dog bite caused a bad on her arm. Lauren up the toy to see how it moved. 5. A pencil is made out of wood and. Tom had to the class to assembly. Write the two meanings of each homograph below: 1. match: 2. proceeds: 3. light: 4. letter: 5. object: 6
Synonyms, Antonyms and Soundalikes MEMO Circle the two synonyms for each set of words below: 1. energetic generous busy idle 2. unhappy mad insane peculiar 3. sleepy lethargic pathetic courteous 4. endeavor thankfulness stationary appreciation 5. isolation border doubtful hesitant Write a synonym for each word below: Answers will vary: 1. tasty - delicious 4. small - tiny 2. begin - start 5. thin - slim 3. ugly - unattractive 6. happy - content Rewrite the paragraph by replacing the underlined words with a synonym from the word box below: My mother was so exhausted after work, she took a snooze on the sofa. While she was sleeping I slipped into the kitchen and headed straight for the store cupboard. I knew what I was searching for the most delectable chocolate cookies! My hand was deep inside the jar when suddenly I heard my mom stirring in the other room Write whether each pair of words below are synonyms or antonyms: 1. agree, disagree antonyms 2. cold, freezing synonyms 3. argue, squabble synonyms 4. tired, energetic antonyms 5. sink, float antonyms 6. windy, calm antonyms Underline the antonyms in the sentences below: 1. Lions are wild, but dogs are tame. 2. The eagle has a strong beak; however the pigeon has a weak beak. 3. Hadedas are noisy, but mice are silent. 4. The buffalo has coarse hair while the horse s hair is silky. 7
Choose the correct antonym from the word box to complete the sentences below: difficult sour open bright lazy slow dry short rough cold young new 1. The glass is smooth, but the sandpaper is rough. 2. Addition is easy, but division is difficult. 3. The door is closed, but the window is open. 4. The dessert is sweet, but the lemon is sour. Read the following fable and answer the questions that follow: 1. Find antonyms for the following words in the passage above: a) queen - king e) down - up b) night - day f) dishonest - faithful c) finished - began g) unhappy- happy d) tiny - huge h) soft- loud 2. Find synonyms for the following words in the passage above: a) motivated - encouraged e) shrines - temples b) discovered - found f) described - explained c) power - strength g) unbound- freed d) amazement- astonishment h) unified- united Underline the correct homophone/s to complete each sentence: 1. Our whole family packed our beach clothes and took a trip to the (see / sea). 2. John s mom let him (grate / great) the cheese for the lasagna. 3. The (sent / scent / cent) of freshly cut lavender filled the room. 4. After many hours of studying, I had to take a (break / brake). 5. (Meet / Meat) me at Wimpy for breakfast. 6. Many of the children were wearing (knew / new) boots for the soccer match. 7. Suzie has been a (dear / deer) friend since we were very young. 8. They had to stay in bed (four / for) a few days to recover from the (flew / flu). 8
Read the story below. Look out for homophones which have been used incorrectly. Complete the table below: (an example has been provided) Incorrect word e.g. their hole board too no clause read tail rode here allowed there whole bored to know claws red tale road hear aloud Correct homophone Circle the correct meaning for the homograph in bold in each sentence below: 1. Sipho says that he can go on the outing next week. a) To have permission b) To preserve in a sealed container 2. The sky looks blue and clear the perfect weather for a day at the beach. a) Free from darkness or cloudiness b) Easily seen or understood 3. Mzisi s father had to park the car before they could get out. a) An area of land used for recreation b) To leave a vehicle in a certain location 4. The scientist asked the geology students to identify the type of rock. a) A stone made of mineral matter b) To move or sway from side to side 5. There were so many dirty dishes left in the sink. a) A basin joined to a water supply b) To move down lower usually in water Write the homograph that completes both sentences: 1. Take a bow when you finish your performance. Tie a bow around the gift. 2. I was hoping to sit in the back row of the class. The boys had to row the boat across the lake. 3. My dad had to pay a fine for speeding in the car. Yesterday Gideon was sick, but today he feels fine. 9
4. The dog bite caused a bad wound on her arm. Lauren wound up the toy to see how it moved. 5. A pencil is made out of wood and lead. Tom had to lead the class to assembly. Write the two meanings of each homograph below: Answers may vary: a) match: a thin piece of wood that has a flammable tip; two items that go together; a sporting event where teams compete b) proceeds: to move forwards or onwards; the total amount received from a sale or investment c) light: something that makes things visible; to set to burning; to brighten up with joy; having fewer calories d) letter: a written communication sent from one person to another; a symbol in the alphabet e) object: a thing that can be seen or touched; to refuse to permit 10