6th Grade Vocabulary Worksheets

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NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Vocabularyciteparaphraseassessinvestigateemphasizeoutlineproposeindicaterelatetracereflectfocusto look into something to learnthe factsto name the book or person a factcame fromto think back carefully oversomethingto list the main points without thedetailsto show how two things areconnectedto offer a plan for others toconsiderto restate a passage in simplerwording of your ownto give special weight to onepointto follow something back towhere it beganto weigh up the quality or size ofsomethingto give all of your attention toone thingto point something out or be asign of it
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.VocabularyAnswer keyciteparaphraseassessinvestigateemphasizeoutlineproposeindicaterelatetracereflectfocusto look into something to learnthe factsto name the book or person a factcame fromto think back carefully oversomethingto list the main points without thedetailsto show how two things areconnectedto offer a plan for others toconsiderto restate a passage in simplerwording of your ownto give special weight to onepointto follow something back towhere it beganto weigh up the quality or size ofsomethingto give all of your attention toone thingto point something out or be asign of it
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Next step Next: work out a word from its sentenceSpell sixth grade words

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Thinking words 12

  • assess To weigh up the quality or size of something. Assess the damage before you plan the repair.
  • cite To name the book or person a fact came from. Cite the page where you found the date.
  • emphasize To give special weight to one point. The coach likes to emphasize teamwork.
  • focus To give all of your attention to one thing. Focus on the first question for now.
  • indicate To point something out or be a sign of it. Dark clouds indicate that rain is coming.
  • investigate To look into something to learn the facts. Scientists investigate why the bees left.
  • outline To list the main points without the details. Outline your essay before you write it.
  • paraphrase To restate a passage in simpler wording of your own. Paraphrase the paragraph in two sentences.
  • propose To offer a plan for others to consider. I propose that we meet on Tuesday.
  • reflect To think back carefully over something. Reflect on what you learned this week.
  • relate To show how two things are connected. Relate the poem to an event in your own life.
  • trace To follow something back to where it began. We can trace the river to a spring in the hills.
Show all 96 words (84 more)

Argument words 12

  • assert To state firmly that something is so. The lawyers assert that he was at home.
  • audience The people a writer or speaker hopes to reach. Choose words that fit your audience.
  • convince To win someone over to a belief. The data may convince the town council.
  • debate A formal talk in which two sides argue a question. The class held a debate about homework.
  • exaggerate To describe something as larger or better than it truly is. Do not exaggerate the size of the fish.
  • fact A statement that can be proved. It is a fact that water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • issue A topic that people take sides on. Litter is an issue in our town.
  • oppose To be against an idea or a plan. Many neighbors oppose the new road.
  • position The side a person takes on a question. Her position is that the park should stay open.
  • quote To give another person's words exactly as they were said. Quote one line from the speech.
  • reason A statement that explains why. Give one reason for your choice.
  • source The place a piece of information comes from. A diary is a source from the time.

Describing words 12

  • abrupt Sudden and not expected. The bus came to an abrupt stop.
  • barren Too poor or dry for plants to grow. Nothing but rock covered the barren hill.
  • complex Built from many parts that link together. A watch has a complex set of gears.
  • drastic Extreme, with far-reaching effects. The drought called for drastic cuts in water use.
  • futile Certain to fail, so not worth trying. It was futile to chase the bus on foot.
  • gradual Going on by small steps, not all at once. We saw a gradual rise in the river.
  • ornate Covered with a lot of decoration. The palace had an ornate gold ceiling.
  • primitive Simple and from an early time. The cave held primitive stone tools.
  • significant Large or important enough to matter. There was a significant drop in sales.
  • unique With nothing else like it anywhere. The artist has a unique style.
  • vague Not clearly stated or seen. He gave a vague answer about where he had been.
  • vast Spreading over a very great area. A vast desert lay ahead.

Action words 12

  • abandon To leave something behind for good. The crew had to abandon the sinking ship.
  • adjust To move or alter something slightly so it fits. Adjust the seat to fit your height.
  • conceal To hide something or keep it secret. Tall grass can conceal a nest.
  • detect To discover something faint or hidden. Dogs can detect very faint smells.
  • eliminate To get rid of something completely. The new bridge will eliminate the long detour.
  • generate To produce something, such as power or ideas. Wind turbines generate electricity.
  • inspect To check each part of something for problems. A mechanic will inspect the brakes.
  • maintain To keep something in good working order. The city must maintain its roads.
  • occupy To fill or live in a space. Two families occupy the house.
  • resist To push back against something. The fort was built to resist attack.
  • seize To grab something suddenly and firmly. The hawk dove to seize the mouse.
  • withdraw To pull back, or to remove what was put in. She will withdraw her name from the list.

Ancient history words 12

  • aqueduct A channel built to carry water a long way. A Roman aqueduct brought water to the city.
  • archaeologist A person who digs up remains to study the past. An archaeologist found the buried wall.
  • chariot A two-wheeled cart pulled by horses. The driver raced a chariot around the track.
  • city-state A city that governs itself and the land around it. Athens was a Greek city-state.
  • civilization A society with cities, laws and writing. A great civilization grew up along the Nile.
  • democracy Government in which the people vote. Athens tried an early form of democracy.
  • dynasty A family that rules a country for generations. The Han dynasty ruled China for about four hundred years.
  • hieroglyph One of the small pictures the Egyptians wrote with. Each hieroglyph was carved into the stone.
  • monarchy Rule by a single crowned head, such as a king or queen. The country was a monarchy for centuries.
  • papyrus A writing sheet made from a river reed. Scribes wrote on papyrus with reed pens.
  • pharaoh A king of ancient Egypt. The pharaoh wore a double crown.
  • pyramid A huge stone tomb with four sloping sides. The largest pyramid in Egypt stands at Giza.

Earth and space science words 12

  • asteroid A rock that circles the sun, far smaller than a planet. Most asteroids lie between Mars and Jupiter.
  • comet A frozen body whose tail streams out as the sun heats it. A comet crossed the evening sky.
  • crust The outermost shell of solid rock around the Earth. Mountains are part of the crust.
  • eclipse The darkening of the sun or moon when its light is blocked. We watched the eclipse through special glasses.
  • galaxy Millions or billions of stars that gravity holds together. Our sun is one star in the Milky Way galaxy.
  • magma Molten rock that lies inside the Earth. Magma that reaches the surface is called lava.
  • mantle The thick layer of rock under the Earth's surface layer. The mantle lies above the core.
  • orbit The curved route a planet or moon follows in space. The moon's orbit takes about 27 days.
  • rotation The spinning of a body around its own center. Earth's rotation gives us day and night.
  • sediment Sand, mud and pebbles laid down by water or wind. The river drops its sediment at the delta.
  • tide The daily rising and falling of the level of the sea. The boats float off the sand at high tide.
  • weathering The slow crumbling of rock where it lies, by rain and frost. Weathering rounded the old hills.

Ratio and statistics words 12

  • data Measurements or answers gathered for study. We gathered data on rainfall for a month.
  • dot plot A number line with a dot above it for each value. The dot plot has six dots above the 4.
  • equivalent Equal in value, though written another way. 0.5 and 1/2 are equivalent.
  • histogram A graph whose bars count the values in equal intervals. The histogram shows most scores between 70 and 80.
  • line graph Points joined by line segments to show a change. The line graph shows the temperature for each hour.
  • mean The total of the values shared out equally among them. The mean of 2, 4 and 9 is 5.
  • mode The value seen more times than any other in a data set. The mode of 3, 5, 5 and 8 is 5.
  • proportion An equation showing that two ratios match. 1/2 = 4/8 is a proportion.
  • quantity An amount that can be counted or measured. Compare the quantity in each jar.
  • range How far apart the highest and lowest values are. The range of 3, 5, 5 and 8 is 5.
  • scale The ratio of a size on a map or model to the real size. The scale is one inch to ten miles.
  • survey A study of what a group thinks, made by asking each person. Our survey asked sixty students about lunch.

Literature words 12

  • antagonist The rival or obstacle that the main character must face. The antagonist tries to steal the map.
  • epic A long poem telling of a hero's great journey or battles. The epic tells of a ten-year voyage home.
  • exposition The opening part that introduces the people and place. The exposition shows the farm before the flood.
  • foreshadowing An early clue to events that come later in the plot. The dark sky is foreshadowing of the storm scene.
  • legend An old story of great deeds, part history and part invention. The legend says the king pulled a sword from a stone.
  • narrative A story or an account of events. Her narrative begins on a train.
  • playwright An author of works for the stage. The playwright added a new final scene.
  • protagonist The leading figure in a story. The protagonist is a girl who trains a wild horse.
  • rhyme scheme The pattern of rhymes at the ends of a poem's lines. The rhyme scheme of the verse is ABAB.
  • rising action The stretch of a story where events pile up before the peak. The rising action follows the three failed escapes.
  • symbol An object or sign used to represent a bigger idea. The oak tree in the novel is a symbol of strength.
  • tragedy A serious play that ends in sorrow. The tragedy ends with the fall of the king.

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. Dot plot, which has no dictionary entry, was checked in the Wikipedia article Dot plot (statistics). Facts named in the examples (the Han dynasty's four centuries, the Great Pyramid at Giza, the double crown, the moon's orbit of about 27 days, the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, water freezing at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, Athenian democracy, lava as magma at the surface, the sun in the Milky Way) were read on 2026-10-02 in the articles on each subject at https://en.wikipedia.org/. Licence: own work

How it works

These 6th grade vocabulary worksheets list twelve words on the left and their definitions, in another order, on the right. The words, such as paraphrase, barren and aqueduct, are our own list for the grade, in eight sets.

Read the full guide

Eight sets

Set opens on Thinking words. The others are Argument words, Describing words, Action words, Ancient history words, Earth and space science words, Ratio and statistics words and Literature words.

6th grade vocabulary words and definitions worksheets

Every word on the sheet is also listed under the tool with its definition and a sentence. Futile: certain to fail, so not worth trying. It was futile to chase the bus on foot.

Your own unit words

Type one pair a line in the box, as word = definition: plateau = a high, flat area of land. The sheet prints your pairs and leaves ours out.

  • The ratio and statistics set gives mean, mode and range their math meanings, each with a worked example in the list.
  • Small, the text size the page opens on, is what lets twelve definitions share one page.

Questions and answers

What words are on a 6th grade vocabulary list?

There is no official list. Ours suggests verbs for thinking and arguing such as cite, assess and assert, describing words such as drastic and vague, and subject words such as pharaoh, sediment, histogram and protagonist.

Is there an answer key for the definitions?

Yes. The last page repeats the sheet with a line drawn from each word to its definition. More options has the check box that leaves it out.

Does the list repeat the 5th or 8th grade words?

No. No word here is on our fifth grade list or on the grade 7 and grade 8 lists of the 8th grade page, so a class can use the pages one after another.

How were the definitions checked?

Each is in our own words and gives a sense Wiktionary lists for the word, read on 2 October 2026. Dot plot has no dictionary entry and was checked in Wikipedia.

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