2nd Grade Vocabulary Worksheets

Second grade vocabulary worksheets: press Print worksheet for twelve words to match to short meanings.

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NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Vocabularyhurrygiggleshoutcarryclimbsharechasebuildlistenwondersearchtumbleto ask yourself about a thingto move or do something fastto hold a thing and take it withyouto laugh softly because somethingis funnyto try to hear what someone saysto run after someone to catchthemto pull yourself up with yourhands and feetto fall, rolling over and overto make a thing by joining partsto let a friend have a turn or apieceto say something very loudlyto look in many places for a thing
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.VocabularyAnswer keyhurrygiggleshoutcarryclimbsharechasebuildlistenwondersearchtumbleto ask yourself about a thingto move or do something fastto hold a thing and take it withyouto laugh softly because somethingis funnyto try to hear what someone saysto run after someone to catchthemto pull yourself up with yourhands and feetto fall, rolling over and overto make a thing by joining partsto let a friend have a turn or apieceto say something very loudlyto look in many places for a thing
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All 96 words

Action words 12

  • build To make a thing by joining parts. We build a fort with boxes.
  • carry To hold a thing and take it with you. I can carry the bag of apples.
  • chase To run after someone to catch them. The puppies chase each other.
  • climb To pull yourself up with your hands and feet. We climb the ladder to the slide.
  • giggle To laugh softly because something is funny. The joke made us giggle.
  • hurry To move or do something fast. Hurry, or we will miss the bus.
  • listen To try to hear what someone says. Listen to the birds outside.
  • search To look in many places for a thing. We search the room for the lost key.
  • share To let a friend have a turn or a piece. Please share the crayons.
  • shout To say something very loudly. Do not shout in the hall.
  • tumble To fall, rolling over and over. The blocks tumble to the floor.
  • wonder To ask yourself about a thing. I wonder why the sky is blue.
Show all 96 words (84 more)

Describing words 12

  • bumpy Full of lumps, not smooth. The bus shook on the bumpy road.
  • chilly A little too cold. Wear a coat on a chilly day.
  • crooked Bent, not straight. The picture on the wall is crooked.
  • empty With nothing inside. The cookie jar is empty.
  • fuzzy Soft with a coat of tiny hairs. A peach has fuzzy skin.
  • gigantic Much bigger than most. A gigantic tree stood by the gate.
  • narrow Small from one side to the other. The gap in the fence is too narrow for the dog.
  • noisy Full of loud sounds. The lunchroom is noisy at noon.
  • plain Simple, with nothing added. I like plain rice.
  • shiny Bright when light falls on it. She found a shiny coin.
  • soggy Very wet and soft. My socks got soggy in the rain.
  • speedy Able to go very quickly. The speedy rabbit won the race.

Feeling words 12

  • bored Tired of having nothing fun to do. He felt bored on the long ride.
  • brave Ready to do a thing that is scary. The brave girl petted the big dog.
  • calm Peaceful and quiet. The class stayed calm during the storm.
  • excited So happy that you can hardly wait. I am excited about the party.
  • grumpy Cranky and hard to please. I feel grumpy when I am tired.
  • scared Afraid of something. The loud bang made me scared.
  • shy Not at ease with people you do not know. The shy boy hid behind his dad.
  • silly Funny in a playful way. We made silly faces.
  • sleepy Tired and ready for bed. The baby looks sleepy.
  • surprised Feeling that a thing was not expected. I was surprised by the gift.
  • upset Unhappy after something goes wrong. She was upset when her tower fell.
  • worried Afraid that things may go badly. He was worried about the test.

School words 12

  • lesson A time when you are taught one thing. Today's lesson is about maps.
  • library A building where books are kept for people to borrow. I found a frog book in the library.
  • partner A person you work with. Read the page with your partner.
  • practice To do something many times to get better. I practice my spelling words.
  • principal The leader of a school. The principal greets us at the door.
  • project School work that takes many days. Our project is a model of a farm.
  • recess A break from class for play. We play tag at recess.
  • schedule A plan that shows when things happen. Gym is next on the schedule.
  • sentence A full idea in words, from capital letter to end mark. Write one sentence about your pet.
  • spell To name the letters of a word, one by one. Can you spell your last name?
  • subject A thing you study, such as math or art. Art is my best subject.
  • title What a book or a story is called. The title is on the cover.

Nature words 12

  • branch A woody arm that grows out from a tree's trunk. The owl sat on a branch.
  • desert Dry land where it almost never rains. A cactus can grow in the desert.
  • forest Land where many trees grow close together. Deer live in the forest.
  • insect A little animal with six legs and often wings. A grasshopper is an insect.
  • meadow A grassy field where wildflowers grow. Bees buzz in the meadow.
  • nest A bed of twigs and grass where a bird lays eggs. The robin sat on her nest.
  • petal A thin colored piece that grows around a flower's middle. A petal fell off the rose.
  • pond A little lake with still water. Ducks swim on the pond.
  • root What a plant sends down into the dirt to get water. A carrot is a root we can eat.
  • seed The small part that a new plant grows from. I put a seed in the dirt.
  • shore The sandy or rocky ground next to a lake or the sea. We found shells on the shore.
  • thunder The loud sound that comes after lightning. Thunder shook the windows.

Time and order words 12

  • after Once something else is done. We play after lunch.
  • already By now. I have already fed the cat.
  • before Earlier than. Brush your teeth before bed.
  • during While something is going on. Please be quiet during the movie.
  • finally When a long wait is over. Finally, the bus came.
  • first At the very start. First, wash your hands.
  • last At the very end. I was the last one in line.
  • later Not now, but in a while. We can finish the game later.
  • next The one that follows this one. Next, dry them with a towel.
  • often Many times. We often walk to school.
  • soon Not long from now. Dinner will be ready soon.
  • suddenly So fast that no one saw it coming. Suddenly, the lights went out.

Story words 12

  • beginning The first part of a story. In the beginning, the fox is hungry.
  • cover The thick outer part that holds a book together. The cover shows a red boat.
  • ending How a story finishes. The ending made me smile.
  • event One happening in a story. The first event is the storm.
  • fairy tale A made-up story with magic in it. My favorite fairy tale has a dragon.
  • hero The brave main person in a story. The hero saves the town.
  • middle The part between the start and the end. In the middle, the fox finds a farm.
  • page One side of a leaf of paper in a book. Turn to the next page.
  • poem Writing in short lines, with words picked for their sound. We read a poem about snow.
  • problem A thing in a story that must be fixed. The problem is that the bridge is broken.
  • rhyme To sound alike at the end, as fox and box. Bee and tree rhyme.
  • villain The bad person in a story. The villain hides the gold.

Words with two meanings 12

  • calf A baby cow, or the back of your lower leg. The calf drank milk. I bumped my calf.
  • chest The part of you between neck and belly, or a large box. He crossed his arms on his chest. The toys go in the chest.
  • fair Equal for everyone, or a show with rides and games. Taking turns is fair. We rode a pony at the fair.
  • horn A hard point on an animal's head, or a thing that honks. A rhino has a horn. The driver honked the horn.
  • lap Once around a track, or your upper legs when you sit. We ran one lap. The cat sat in my lap.
  • leaves Goes away, or the flat green parts of a plant. The bus leaves at eight. The leaves turn red.
  • pen A tool for writing in ink, or a small yard for animals. Sign with a pen. The pigs sleep in a pen.
  • pet An animal kept at home, or to stroke gently. My pet is a hamster. Pet the cat softly.
  • slide To glide over something smooth, or a playground chute. Socks slide on the floor. I went down the slide.
  • stick A thin piece of wood, or to glue one thing to another. The dog found a stick. Stick the star on the card.
  • swing To move back and forth, or a seat that hangs on ropes. Swing your arms. Push me on the swing.
  • tie To knot a string, or a strip of cloth worn at the neck. Tie your shoes. Dad wore a blue tie.

How this list was compiled: Word list chosen for this site on 2026-10-02; the grade is our suggestion and the list follows no published program, exam or standard. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against the entry for the word in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license: it gives a sense the entry lists, in shorter words. The example sentence after each meaning is our own. Licence: own work

How it works

These 2nd grade vocabulary worksheets print twelve everyday words down the left and their meanings, mixed up, down the right. The words, such as hurry, chilly and nest, are our own list for the grade, in eight sets.

Read the full guide

Eight sets by kind of word

Set opens on Action words. The others are Describing words, Feeling words, School words, Nature words, Time and order words, Story words and Words with two meanings. Any set fills one sheet.

Words with two meanings

In the last set one line gives both meanings: pen is a tool for writing in ink, or a small yard for animals. Under the tool each of these words has two sentences, one for each meaning.

This week's words

Type pairs in the box, one a line, as word = meaning. They take the place of our words, so a reading group can have its own sheet.

  • Pairs, beside Answer by, shortens the sheet to 4, 5, 6, 8 or 10 words.
  • With Cut and paste the meanings print as tiles to cut out and glue next to each word.

Questions and answers

What vocabulary words should a 2nd grader know?

No list is official. Ours has everyday words a second grader reads and hears, such as giggle, narrow, worried, recess, meadow and suddenly. The grade is our suggestion, and a teacher can swap in other words.

Are the meanings easy enough for second grade?

Each meaning is a short phrase in common words: soggy is very wet and soft, and a pond is a little lake with still water. The longer ones are in the set of words with two meanings.

Do the worksheets come with an answer key?

Yes. The key is a second page: the same sheet with a line drawn from each word to its meaning. It can be switched off under More options.

Where do the meanings come from?

They are our own, worded for seven-year-olds, and each was checked against the entry for the word in Wiktionary on 2 October 2026.

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