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Wants Vs Needs - Printable Social Studies Worksheets year 5 - Wayground

Wants Vs Needs

20 questions

5th - 5th Grade

Social Studies

Wants Vs Needs is a free printable Grade 5 social studies worksheet that helps students distinguish essential needs from nonessential wants. Through 20 questions—19 multiple-choice items and one multiple-select item—students classify examples such as clean air, water, food, oxygen, shelter, clothing, cars, smartphones, candy, and other everyday goods. They also consider how context, such as a cold, snowy climate, can affect whether an item is a true need. The worksheet reinforces the meaning of a need as something required for life and a want as something desirable but possible to live without. Its repeated “Need or Want?” classifications, definition question, true-or-false item, and “check everything” question give Grade 5 learners practice recognizing the distinction in different formats. This free worksheet includes a complete answer key for review, independent practice, homework, or a social studies assessment.

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Wants Vs Needs

Total questions: 20

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which of these is a need?

a)

clean air

b)

new jeans

c)

cool sneakers

d)

your favorite candy

2.

Which of these is a want?

a)

food

b)

water

c)

shelter

d)

smartphone

3.

Where would heavy, warm clothing be a true need?

a)

nowhere

b)

everywhere

c)

in a town with a cold, snowy climate

d)

in a very big city with a sunny climate

4.

Need or want?

a)

Need

b)

Want

5.

Need or Want

a)

Need

b)

Want

6.

car

a)

want

b)

need

7.

water

a)

want

b)

need

8.

Check everything that is a NEED.

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
9.
a)
Need
b)
Want
10.
a)
Need
b)
Want
11.

Which is a want?

a)

A place to live (shelter)

b)

Oxygen

c)

Car

d)

Food

12.

A want is something we would like to have but could easily live without it.

a)

True

b)

False

13.

Is this type of shelter a need or want?

a)

Need

b)

Want

14.
a)
need
b)
want
15.
What is a need?
a)
Nothing
b)
Something you have to have to live
c)
Something you would like to have
d)
Ice cream
16.
a)
need
b)
want
17.
a)
need
b)
want
18.

Want or Need?

a)
b)
19.

Want or Need?

a)
b)
20.

Want or Need?

a)
b)
Answer Key

Wants Vs Needs

Total questions: 20

1.
a)

clean air

2.
d)

smartphone

3.
c)

in a town with a cold, snowy climate

4.
b)

Want

5.
b)

Want

6.
a)

want

7.
b)

need

8.
a) , c) , d) , e)
9.
b) Want
10.
b) Want
11.
c)

Car

12.
a)

True

13.
b)

Want

14.
a) need
15.
b) Something you have to have to live
16.
b) want
17.
a) need
18.
b)
19.
b)
20.
a)

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FAQs

What does the Wants Vs Needs worksheet cover?

This Grade 5 social studies worksheet teaches students to classify everyday items as needs or wants, using 19 multiple-choice questions and one multiple-select question. Students apply the distinction to essentials such as clean air, water, food, oxygen, and shelter, compare them with wants such as smartphones, cars, candy, and new clothing, and consider how a cold, snowy climate can make warm clothing a true need.

How can I use this worksheet to teach the difference between wants and needs?

Introduce the worksheet by defining a need as something necessary for life and a want as something desirable but not essential, then discuss a few examples such as water, shelter, a smartphone, and a car. Have students explain their reasoning for the “Need or Want?” items and the climate-based clothing question before completing the multiple-select item, using their explanations to show that context can affect classification.

What mistakes should I watch for when students complete this wants and needs worksheet?

Students may label every useful or expensive item as a need, especially a car or smartphone, instead of asking whether a person could live without it. They may also miss that context matters—for example, heavy warm clothing is a true need in a cold, snowy climate—and select only one answer on the multiple-select question when more than one item is essential.

How do I assign and grade the Wants Vs Needs worksheet?

You can assign Wants Vs Needs as a printable PDF or as a digital quiz on Wayground, and the worksheet includes a complete answer key for checking all 20 items. For printable submissions, scan student work with the Wayground for Teachers app to grade it efficiently.

How can I differentiate this wants and needs worksheet for my students?

In the worksheet’s Advanced Settings, adjust font spacing or choose a larger font size to make the repeated “Need or Want?” choices and the multiple-select directions easier to follow. You can also enable a dyslexia-friendly font or translate the worksheet into another language when that better supports access to its needs-and-wants vocabulary.

Where can I find more worksheets like this on Wayground?

Wayground offers a broad collection of free printable worksheets and practice problems across subjects, with downloadable PDFs and answer keys to support essential skills and concepts. Browse more resources at https://wayground.com/en-us/worksheets.

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