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Worksheets

Determining Meaning of Unknown & Multi-meaning Words

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 25mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

In the story, "Nature's Firefighters," it says: "Strong winds whip flames into firestorms that rip through the combustible plants, threatening lives and costing billions of dollars in damage."


What does the word firestorm mean?

a)

an intense, destructive fire

b)

fire that rains from burning clouds in the sky

c)

a tool for fighting fires

d)

a goat that battles fires

2.

The root word "bio" means life. What does the word biology mean?

a)

the study of life

b)

living things

c)

full of life

d)

life throughout

3.

When Wei Yei got a tiny cut on her pinky finger, she became melodramatic, and sobbed and demanded to see a doctor.


What does melodramatic mean?

a)

quiet

b)

overly emotional

c)

angry

d)

not angry enough

4.

The Greek root "ge" means "the earth."


The word geology means:

a)

the study of the earth

b)

the study of geodes.

c)

a heavy metal found on earth.

d)

a person who loves the earth.

5.

The Gettysburg Address is a well known speech by Abraham Lincoln.

a)

to speak to

b)

to put energy into doing somehing

c)

to write on an envelope where it should be delivered

d)

a speech

e)

the location of a building

6.

When we moved we got a new address.

a)

to speak to

b)

to put energy into doing something

c)

to write on an envelope where it should be delivered

d)

the location of a building

7.

The mayor will address the problem at the next meeting.

a)

to speak to

b)

to put energy into doing something

c)

to write on an envelope where it should be delivered

d)

the location of a building

8.

Choose all answers that have a root word that means "two"?

a)

bisect

b)

dioxide

c)

biweekly

d)

unicycle

9.

Choose all answers that have a root word that means "two"?

a)

bisect

b)

dioxide

c)

biweekly

d)

unicycle

10.

Which word contains a root word with the meaning "sound"?

a)

pedometer

b)

uniform

c)

symphony

d)

verdict

11.

Knowing that the Latin root astr- means stars/space can help us determine the meaning of the underlined word in this sentence: The astronomer received her bachelor's of science degree in physics from Kansas State University.

a)

Someone who studies stars and outer space

b)

Someone who stars in a movie

c)

Someone who looks like a star

d)

Someone who travels to stars

12.

Knowing that the Greek root "bio" means life can help you determine the meaning of the underlined word in the following sentence: There is a greater biomass in the rainforest than in the arctic.

a)

A scientist who studies life

b)

Reptiles and mammals

c)

The amount of living things in a habitat

d)

A story written about someone's life

13.

Knowing that the Greek root "chron" means time can help you determine the meaning of the underlined word in this sentence: My grandpa has been suffering from chronic back pain for the last twenty years, and the doctors can't figure out why.

a)

Putting events in a timeline

b)

Something lasting a long time

c)

Something lasting a short time

d)

A device that tells time

14.

Knowing that the Greek root "poly" means multiple/many can help us determine the meaning of the underlined word in this sentence: The polyglot could speak French, Japanese, Arabic, and English.

a)

Someone with many different college degrees

b)

Someone with many nationalities

c)

Someone born in many different countries

d)

Someone who knows many languages

15.

Knowing that the Latin root "port" means to carry can help you determine the meaning of the underlined word in this sentence: The porter struggled to balance the 4 suitcases on top of each other as he walked them to the guest's room.

a)

A person whose job it is to carry luggage

b)

A machine that carries luggage

c)

Something that is easy to carry

d)

A ship that carries people from one destination to another

16.

Knowing that the Latin root "cent" means 100 can help you determine the meaning of the underlined word in this sentence: The centipede crawled across the driveway, trying to make it to the grassy yard before a bird pecked it up as a midday snack.

a)

100 seconds

b)

100 pennies make 1 dollar

c)

A mouse with 100 legs

d)

A bug with 100 legs

17.

Which of the following words have to do with water? (Checkmark 3 words)

a)

Aquarium

b)

Hyrate

c)

Biosphere

d)

Terrarium

e)

Hydrosphere

18.

Which of the following words have to do with sight of seeing? (Checkmark 3 words)

a)

Vision

b)

Auditorium

c)

Video

d)

Invisible

e)

Audio

19.

Choose all of the correct answers.

It is important to learn Greek and Latin roots because...

a)

they help you find the meanings of words

b)

the help you better understand what you are reading

c)

they help you divide in math

d)

they help you break down the word to understand what it means

20.

A word's root is its...

a)

prefix (beginning)

b)

origin (starting place)

c)

suffix (ending)

d)

plant