Collective Nouns Worksheets

Print worksheet gives 8 sentences: circle the word for the group, such as herd, flock, swarm or team.

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Add a "Name" and "Date" line at the top Add an answer key as the last page

All 206 sentences

Herd, flock or team 146

The ___ clapped at the end of the puppet show. audience, deck, litter
The ___ clapped when the fireworks ended. bale, crowd, deck
The ___ of actors bowed at the end of the play. cast, fleet, litter
The ___ of dogs chased the mail truck. deck, flock, pack
The ___ of the school play met after class. bale, cast, flight
The ___ of wolves followed the deer tracks. bouquet, fleet, pack
The ___ packed up its horns and drums. bale, band, pod
The ___ practiced its new song after lunch. bale, choir, flight
The ___ sang two songs before the speeches. choir, deck, fleet
The ___ tuned its violins before the show. fleet, litter, orchestra
A ___ of ants lives under the sidewalk. colony, deck, herd
A ___ of baboons crossed the dusty road. fleet, pod, troop
A ___ of bananas hung from the hook. bunch, flight, litter
A ___ of bees buzzed around the hive. deck, herd, swarm
A ___ of birds landed on the telephone wire. deck, flock, pride
A ___ of books sat on the teacher's desk. choir, herd, stack
A ___ of buffalo thundered across the plain. herd, school, stack
A ___ of camels carried salt to market. caravan, deck, school
A ___ of cows stood in the shade of the barn. bouquet, herd, school

Show all 206 sentences (187 more)

Herd, flock or team, continued

A ___ of coyotes yipped in the canyon. gaggle, pack, stack
A ___ of dolphins leaped beside our boat. bouquet, pod, pride
A ___ of elephants walked to the water hole. fleet, gaggle, herd
A ___ of fans cheered for the home team. crowd, deck, litter
A ___ of fish darted under the dock. bouquet, herd, school
A ___ of fishing boats came home at sunset. fleet, litter, pride
A ___ of flies circled the trash can. deck, school, swarm
A ___ of geese honked beside the barn. gaggle, school, stack
A ___ of geese waddled across the lawn. deck, gaggle, pride
A ___ of gnats hung over the puddle. choir, pack, swarm
A ___ of laundry waited by the washer. choir, deck, pile
A ___ of lions rested under the tree. deck, pride, school
A ___ of lions shared the shade of one bush. flight, flock, pride
A ___ of locusts ate the wheat field bare. pride, stack, swarm
A ___ of minnows flashed in the shallow water. fleet, pride, school
A ___ of monkeys swung through the trees. deck, school, troop
A ___ of mosquitoes chased us indoors. fleet, flock, swarm
A ___ of mountains rose behind the town. deck, herd, range
A ___ of musicians tuned their guitars. band, bouquet, flight
A ___ of newspapers leaned against the door. choir, pride, stack
A ___ of orcas hunted near the ice. gaggle, pod, stack
A ___ of penguins huddled on the ice. bouquet, colony, pride
A ___ of people filled the sidewalk. bouquet, crowd, fleet
A ___ of pigeons pecked at the bread crumbs. bouquet, flock, pod
A ___ of piglets squealed in the straw. bouquet, gaggle, litter
A ___ of pine trees shades the cabin. choir, fleet, grove
A ___ of players jogged onto the field. bouquet, flight, team
A ___ of sailors hauled in the wet ropes. crew, flight, stack
A ___ of sardines moved like one big shadow. gaggle, school, stack
A ___ of scouts set up tents by the lake. litter, stack, troop
A ___ of seagulls followed the fishing boat. flock, litter, stack
A ___ of ships sailed out of the harbor. bouquet, fleet, herd
A ___ of singers filed onto the risers. choir, litter, stack
A ___ of taxis waited outside the airport. batch, fleet, herd
A ___ of whales swam past the lighthouse. deck, flock, pod
A ___ of wild dogs slept in the shade. batch, pack, school
A ___ of wolves trotted across the frozen lake. bouquet, pack, school
A baby monkey clung on as the ___ moved on. bouquet, swarm, troop
A dark ___ of insects rose from the tall grass. batch, herd, swarm
A noisy ___ of penguins covered the beach. colony, school, stack
A steep ___ of stairs leads to the bell tower. flight, litter, pack
The actors bowed to the ___. audience, bouquet, fleet
The admiral commands the whole ___. choir, fleet, litter
All the puppies in the ___ have white paws. choir, flight, litter
The ants carried food back to the ___. choir, colony, litter
The baby whale stayed in the middle of the ___. choir, pod, swarm
The beekeeper caught the ___ in a wooden box. bouquet, litter, swarm
The bride carried a ___ of white flowers. bouquet, deck, flock
The calf stayed close to the rest of the ___. bouquet, fleet, herd
The captain thanked her ___ after the storm. batch, crew, litter
The cat moved her ___ of kittens to the barn. litter, pride, stack
The company owns a ___ of delivery trucks. choir, fleet, flock
The cowboy counted every cow in the ___. bouquet, flight, herd
Dad gave Grandma a ___ of roses. bouquet, fleet, herd
Dad set a tall ___ of pancakes on my plate. fleet, flock, stack
The diver swam through a ___ of silver fish. deck, flock, school
The dolphins in the ___ took turns jumping. fleet, litter, pod
Each ___ of hay is tied with twine. bale, deck, litter
Every actor in the ___ knew the lines. bouquet, cast, deck
Every ant in the ___ marched to the crumb. colony, fleet, flock
Every fall a ___ of ducks rests on our pond. batch, flock, pride
Every player on the ___ got a turn at bat. bale, litter, team
Every student in my ___ brought a book. class, flight, stack
The farmer feeds his ___ of chickens at dawn. choir, flock, pod
The farmer tossed a ___ of hay to the horses. bale, choir, fleet
The first ___ of muffins burned. batch, choir, deck
The fishing net pulled in a whole ___ of herring. bale, pride, school
Forty musicians play in the city ___. bouquet, deck, orchestra
The fox had a ___ of four cubs in her den. bale, litter, school
The general led his ___ across the river. army, batch, deck
Grandma baked a ___ of cookies for the fair. batch, fleet, herd
Grandpa keeps a ___ of cards in his pocket. choir, deck, litter
The hikers crossed a ___ of low hills. bouquet, fleet, range
I peeled one banana from the ___. bunch, deck, flock
I picked a ___ of daisies for my teacher. bouquet, choir, litter
The janitor carries a big ___ of keys. bunch, choir, pride
The king's ___ of soldiers marched by. army, bouquet, litter
The lighthouse has a long ___ of steps. choir, deck, flight
The lion cubs wrestled while the ___ slept. bouquet, fleet, pride
The long ___ of camels stopped at the well. bouquet, caravan, litter
The marching ___ played at halftime. band, deck, litter
Mom bought a ___ of grapes at the market. bunch, fleet, herd
Mom made a double ___ of brownies. batch, flight, flock
My room is up one ___ of stairs. fleet, flight, flock
My sister sings in the school ___. bouquet, choir, pod
My uncle plays drums in a rock ___. band, fleet, stack
The noisy ___ of geese chased us away. bouquet, gaggle, pod
The old lion roared to call his ___. gaggle, pride, stack
One card is missing from this ___. deck, fleet, flock
One goose hissed, and the whole ___ joined in. fleet, gaggle, litter
One lamb wandered away from the ___. deck, fleet, flock
One little fish swam away from its ___. flight, herd, school
One wolf left the ___ to hunt alone. choir, fleet, pack
One zebra kept watch while the ___ drank. choir, deck, herd
Our ___ of twenty students visited the farm. class, deck, litter
Our dog gave birth to a ___ of six puppies. deck, litter, school
Our soccer ___ practices on Tuesdays. deck, litter, team
The picture showed a spiral ___ full of stars. deck, galaxy, litter
Please carry this ___ of plates to the sink. bouquet, litter, stack
The puppy slept on a ___ of old towels. fleet, flock, pile
The rancher moved his ___ of cattle uphill. deck, herd, swarm
The relay ___ passed the baton without a slip. bouquet, deck, team
The road ___ fixed the hole in our street. crew, deck, pod
The school district has a ___ of yellow buses. bouquet, fleet, gaggle
The shark circled a ___ of tuna. choir, litter, school
She joined the swim ___ this summer. fleet, stack, team
She lost her hat in the ___ at the fair. crowd, flight, litter
She put the ___ of tulips in a glass vase. bouquet, flight, pride
She tied the ___ of balloons to the mailbox. bunch, choir, herd
The sheepdog kept the ___ together. bouquet, deck, flock
The shepherd led her ___ of sheep downhill. fleet, flock, school
The ship's ___ pulled up the anchor. bouquet, crew, litter
Shuffle the ___ of cards before you deal. bouquet, deck, herd
The smallest kitten in the ___ is called the runt. fleet, litter, swarm
Snow covered the whole mountain ___. choir, litter, range
The teacher read a story to her ___. bale, class, pod
The telescope showed a ___ of stars far away. bouquet, galaxy, herd
Two lionesses hunt for the whole ___. choir, pride, swarm
We ate lunch in a ___ of orange trees. deck, grove, herd
We climbed a ___ of stairs to the attic. bouquet, flight, herd
We jumped into a ___ of leaves. fleet, herd, pile
We need a full ___ of cards to play this game. deck, flight, swarm
We pulled a ___ of radishes from the garden. bunch, fleet, gaggle
We saw a ___ of deer at the edge of the woods. choir, herd, pod
The whole ___ laughed at the clown's joke. audience, flight, stack
The whole ___ lined up for the fire drill. bouquet, class, fleet
The wolf pups play near the rest of the ___. flight, pack, swarm

Is or are, was or were 60

The actors ___ bowing to the crowd. are, is
The audience ___ waiting for the show to start. are, is
The band ___ at every home game. play, plays
The band ___ marching in the parade. are, is
The band ___ three new songs. has, have
The bees ___ crawling on the comb. are, is
The bees ___ from flower to flower. flies, fly
The birds ___ nests in the old barn. has, have
Both herds ___ drinking at the lake. are, is
The choir ___ every Friday. sing, sings
The choir ___ on stage for an hour. was, were
The choir ___ singing in the gym today. are, is
The class ___ a pet hamster. has, have
The class ___ in the library all morning. was, were
The colony ___ growing every day. are, is
The cows ___ chewing in the shade. are, is
The cows ___ in the barn all night. was, were
The cows ___ in the lower field. graze, grazes
The crew ___ painting the ship. are, is
The crowd ___ getting louder. are, is
The crowd ___ on its feet. was, were
The drummers ___ in the front row. march, marches
The drummers ___ keeping the beat. are, is
The fans ___ waving flags. are, is
The fleet ___ leaving the harbor. are, is
The flock ___ a safe place to sleep. has, have
The flock ___ flying south. are, is
The geese ___ honking overhead. are, is
The herd ___ gone by morning. was, were
The herd ___ moving toward the river. are, is
The herd ___ on the hillside. graze, grazes
The litter ___ asleep in the basket. are, is
The musicians ___ shiny new uniforms. has, have
My cousins ___ setting the table. are, is
My family ___ eating dinner on the porch. are, is
Our class ___ learning about frogs. are, is
Our team ___ a new coach. has, have
The pack ___ a new leader. has, have
The pack ___ hunting tonight. are, is
The players ___ blue jerseys. has, have
The players ___ hard before each match. train, trains
The players ___ tired after the long game. was, were
The puppies ___ tumbling in the grass. are, is
The sailors ___ mopping the deck. are, is
The ships ___ lined up at the dock. are, is
The singers ___ nervous before the solo. was, were
The singers ___ on Friday nights. practice, practices
The singers ___ warming up their voices. are, is
The students ___ library books to return. has, have
The students ___ lining up at the door. are, is
The students ___ proud of the mural. was, were
The swarm ___ around the hive. buzz, buzzes
The swarm ___ hanging from a branch. are, is
The team ___ every afternoon. practice, practices
The team ___ late for practice yesterday. was, were
The team ___ on the bus. are, is
Three flocks ___ on the lake at dawn. was, were
Two teams ___ playing for the cup. are, is
The wolves ___ resting in the snow. are, is
The wolves ___ thick winter fur. has, have

How this list was compiled: Written for this page. A collective noun is one word for a whole group, such as herd, flock or team. In the first set a blank takes the collective noun for the group in the sentence, and the two other choices are collective nouns for quite different things (a noun that could also be right is never among them: flock is not offered against a gaggle of geese, nor pack against a deck of cards). Each pairing, such as a pride of lions, a pod of whales, a flight of stairs or a deck of cards, was read in the Wiktionary entry of the collective noun on 9 October 2026. In the second set a collective noun in the singular takes a singular verb (the team is), which is the usual American practice according to the Wikipedia article Collective noun, read the same day, and it is mixed with sentences about the members, which take a plural verb (the players are). British English also allows the team are. Collective nouns are standard L.2.1a of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, published at thecorestandards.org and read the same day. No person, brand or character is named. Licence: own work

How it works

A collective noun is one word for a whole group: a herd of cows, a flock of birds, a team of players. Each sentence has a blank and three group words, and only one names the group in the sentence.

Read the full guide

Herd, flock or team

A ___ of bees buzzed around the hive offers swarm, herd and deck. Bees come in a swarm, cattle in a herd and cards in a deck, so the answer is swarm. Some sentences leave out the of: One wolf left the ___ to hunt alone.

Is or are after a collective noun

Under Set, pick Is or are, was or were. In American English a collective noun takes a singular verb: The team is on the bus. Its members take a plural verb: The players were tired after the long game.

Two words for one group, such as a flock and a gaggle of geese, never stand together among the choices.

Questions and answers

What is a collective noun?

A noun that names a group as one thing: herd, flock, swarm, team, class, choir, crew. Lions live in a pride, whales swim in a pod, and ships sail in a fleet.

What grade learns collective nouns?

Second grade in the Common Core. Standard L.2.1a reads: Use collective nouns (e.g., group).

Are collective nouns singular or plural?

Singular in American English: the choir sings, the band has three new songs. Two or more groups are plural: two teams are playing. British English also accepts the team are when the members act one by one.

Do these work as a collective nouns worksheet for 5th grade?

As review, yes; the grade is our suggestion. For 5th grade or high school grammar, the Is or are set fits better, because the choice is the verb: The herd ___ moving toward the river.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. The last page is the key, with the right choice circled under each sentence. Uncheck Add an answer key as the last page under More options to print the sheet alone.

All 206 sentences

Herd, flock or team 146

Herd, flock or team, continued

Is or are, was or were 60

How it works

Herd, flock or team

Is or are after a collective noun

Questions and answers

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