TinyClimbs

Figurative Language Worksheet Generator (Similes, Metaphors, Idioms & More)

Print free figurative language practice for ages 8–12. Name the type of each sentence, sort similes from metaphors, match idioms to what they really mean, find the two things being compared, or finish sentence starters with your own — or mix them all into one review page, with an answer key.

Every sentence comes from a hand-written bank of about 160 short examples across seven types, and every idiom has a plain meaning. Start with similes and metaphors in 3rd grade; the mixed review with all seven types suits 5th and 6th.

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Name That Figurative Language
Read each sentence. Circle the kind of figurative language it uses.
  1. 1
    Thud! The book fell off the shelf.
    Type:PersonificationHyperboleOnomatopoeiaIdiom
  2. 2
    Life is a roller coaster.
    Type:SimileMetaphorHyperboleOnomatopoeia
  3. 3
    The runner was as quick as lightning.
    Type:SimileMetaphorPersonificationOnomatopoeia
  4. 4
    Don't cry over spilled milk.
    Type:PersonificationOnomatopoeiaAlliterationIdiom
  5. 5
    Peter picked a pile of purple plums.
    Type:PersonificationOnomatopoeiaAlliterationIdiom
  6. 6
    Daring dolphins dive deep.
    Type:MetaphorPersonificationAlliterationIdiom
  7. 7
    That joke is so old it has wrinkles.
    Type:MetaphorPersonificationHyperboleAlliteration
  8. 8
    The flowers waved hello in the garden.
    Type:PersonificationHyperboleOnomatopoeiaIdiom
Answer KeyName That Figurative Language
  1. 1
    Thud! The book fell off the shelf.
    Type:PersonificationHyperboleOnomatopoeiaIdiom
  2. 2
    Life is a roller coaster.
    Type:SimileMetaphorHyperboleOnomatopoeia
  3. 3
    The runner was as quick as lightning.
    Type:SimileMetaphorPersonificationOnomatopoeia
  4. 4
    Don't cry over spilled milk.
    Type:PersonificationOnomatopoeiaAlliterationIdiom
  5. 5
    Peter picked a pile of purple plums.
    Type:PersonificationOnomatopoeiaAlliterationIdiom
  6. 6
    Daring dolphins dive deep.
    Type:MetaphorPersonificationAlliterationIdiom
  7. 7
    That joke is so old it has wrinkles.
    Type:MetaphorPersonificationHyperboleAlliteration
  8. 8
    The flowers waved hello in the garden.
    Type:PersonificationHyperboleOnomatopoeiaIdiom