Words with Suffixes Worksheet

A suffix is a word part added to the end of a base word, and learning to see it changes how a child reads. Once a third grader knows that -less means without and -er often means one who, a page of unfamiliar words stops being a wall. The Words with Suffixes Worksheet builds exactly that habit: pull the suffix off, find the base word underneath, and then use the suffix to work out what the whole word means.

This printable Words with Suffixes Worksheet has two parts on one clean page. Part one lists ten words that each end in a common suffix: helpful, painter, harmless, hopeful, teacher, quickly, endless, kindness, sadly, and darkness. Students write the base word for each on a wide handwriting line. Part two turns the skill around. Three short items give a meaning, such as one who paints pictures, and students choose the matching word from the list they just worked through. That second step is where the learning shows, because a child cannot answer it by copying. An answer key on the final page makes checking fast.

What’s Included

• One printable worksheet page with ten suffix words in a two-column list
• A wide writing line beside every word for the base word
• Three meaning-to-word items that apply what each suffix does
• Five common suffixes covered: -ful, -er, -less, -ly, and -ness
• A full answer key on the final page

Three Reasons This Helps Kids

• Separating a base word from its suffix is the decoding move that unlocks longer words on every test and in every chapter book.
• The second section asks students to build meaning from word parts, not just spot them, which is the reasoning third grade standards ask for.
• Ten short items fit a single sitting, so the page works as morning work, homework, or a quick check before a spelling unit.

Teacher and Parent Ideas

Use this 3rd grade suffixes worksheet after you introduce suffixes, or as a review before a vocabulary test. Work the first two words together on the board so students hear you say the base word aloud, then let them finish on their own. Afterward, ask the class what each suffix seems to do and collect their answers in a chart: -ful for full of, -less for without, -er for one who, -ly for in a certain way, and -ness for a state of being. Students who finish early can add a new word to each suffix or write a sentence for two of the words on the page. Homeschool parents can stretch the same page across two days by saving part two for the next morning.

Related Resources

• Matching Suffix Worksheet
• Add ING Suffix Worksheet
• Adding ED Suffix Worksheet
• Context Clues Song