Figurative Language 4th Grade Worksheets

Print worksheet gives 10 sentences: circle simile, metaphor or idiom under each one.

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Made at homeroomtools.comRead each sentence. Circle the word that fits.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.What kind of figurative language is it?The wet dog smelled like an old sponge.simileidiommetaphorThe toddler clung to her dad like a burr on a sock.simileidiommetaphorWe were all in the same boat when the bus broke down.idiommetaphorsimileMy little brother is a vacuum cleaner at dinner.simileidiommetaphorMy sister let the cat out of the bag about the puppy.idiomsimilemetaphorHer room is a jungle of socks and books.simileidiommetaphorThe gym floor shone like a new penny.idiomsimilemetaphorGrandpa's hands are as rough as tree bark.idiommetaphorsimileBen got cold feet before his solo.metaphoridiomsimileThe clouds were sheep grazing on a blue field.idiommetaphorsimile
Made at homeroomtools.comRead each sentence. Circle the word that fits.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.What kind of figurative language is it?Answer keyThe wet dog smelled like an old sponge.simileidiommetaphorThe toddler clung to her dad like a burr on a sock.simileidiommetaphorWe were all in the same boat when the bus broke down.idiommetaphorsimileMy little brother is a vacuum cleaner at dinner.simileidiommetaphorMy sister let the cat out of the bag about the puppy.idiomsimilemetaphorHer room is a jungle of socks and books.simileidiommetaphorThe gym floor shone like a new penny.idiomsimilemetaphorGrandpa's hands are as rough as tree bark.idiommetaphorsimileBen got cold feet before his solo.metaphoridiomsimileThe clouds were sheep grazing on a blue field.idiommetaphorsimile
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All 180 sentences

Simile, metaphor or idiom 84

  • The answer was on the tip of my tongue.
  • The baby's cheeks were as round as peaches.
  • The baby's laugh is music in our house.
  • Ben got cold feet before his solo.
  • The bread was as hard as a hockey puck.
  • The city at night is a box of jewels.
  • The classroom was a beehive before the field trip.
  • The classroom was as quiet as a snowy field.
  • Clouds drifted by like slow white ships.
  • The clouds were sheep grazing on a blue field.
  • The crowd roared like a waterfall.
  • Dad told us to hit the hay early before the trip.
  • The dancer spun like a top on the stage.
  • The fog sat on the harbor like a gray quilt.
  • The fog was a gray quilt over the harbor.
  • The freeway was a parking lot at five o'clock.
  • The frost was white lace on the window.
  • The goalie was a brick wall in front of the net.
  • Grandma's kitchen is a treasure chest of smells.
  • Grandpa and I are on the same page about fishing early.
  • Grandpa's hands are as rough as tree bark.
  • The gym floor shone like a new penny.
Show all 180 sentences (158 more)

Simile, metaphor or idiom, continued

  • The hallway was a river of students after the bell.
  • He is pulling your leg about the purple squirrel.
  • Her laugh bubbled up like soda in a shaken bottle.
  • Her room is a jungle of socks and books.
  • Her smile was sunshine on a gray morning.
  • Her voice was velvet.
  • Her words stung like a paper cut.
  • His backpack was a sack of bricks.
  • His backpack was as heavy as a sack of bricks.
  • His desk is a landfill of crumpled paper.
  • His voice was as scratchy as sandpaper.
  • Hold your horses until the paint dries.
  • I am in hot water for tracking mud across the rug.
  • I get butterflies in my stomach before every recital.
  • I had to bite my tongue when my brother bragged.
  • I was on cloud nine after the spelling bee.
  • The icicles hung from the roof like glass teeth.
  • It was time to face the music about the broken vase.
  • Keep an eye on the soup while I set the table.
  • The kitten's fur felt as soft as dandelion fluff.
  • The lake was a sheet of glass at dawn.
  • The library is a quiet harbor on a loud day.
  • The lost mitten turned up out of the blue.
  • Mia spilled the beans about the surprise party.
  • The moon hung over the barn like a silver coin.
  • The moon was a nightlight for the whole farm.
  • My brother sleeps like a hibernating bear.
  • My cousin is an encyclopedia of bug facts.
  • My legs felt as wobbly as jelly after the race.
  • My little brother eats like a vacuum cleaner.
  • My little brother is a vacuum cleaner at dinner.
  • My sister let the cat out of the bag about the puppy.
  • My stomach was a knot of rope before the recital.
  • My thoughts were tangled yarn.
  • My uncle has a sweet tooth for peach pie.
  • The name of that street rings a bell with me.
  • The new student broke the ice with a joke.
  • The news spread through school like spilled paint.
  • The old stairs creaked like a rusty hinge.
  • Omar hit the nail on the head when he guessed the ending.
  • Our picnic plan went down the drain when the storm came.
  • Our tent was a tiny island in the storm.
  • The playground was an oven by noon.
  • The puddle was a tiny ocean for the toy boat.
  • The puppy darted across the yard like a furry rocket.
  • The quiz tomorrow keeps me on my toes.
  • The runners took off like popcorn from a hot pan.
  • Sam was feeling under the weather on Monday.
  • The sand felt as hot as a stove under my feet.
  • The stars were scattered like spilled sugar.
  • The stars were spilled sugar on a black table.
  • The test was a mountain I had to climb.
  • That old laptop is a snail.
  • Tia went the extra mile on her science poster.
  • The tire was as flat as a dropped pie.
  • The toddler clung to her dad like a burr on a sock.
  • The twins see eye to eye on pizza toppings.
  • We decided to call it a day and finish the fort tomorrow.
  • We got up at the crack of dawn to fish.
  • We were all in the same boat when the bus broke down.
  • We were back to square one when the glue did not hold.
  • The wet dog smelled like an old sponge.

All six kinds 96

  • Autumn painted the hills orange and gold.
  • The bacon sizzled in the skillet.
  • The balloon went pop at the party.
  • Buzz went the timer on the oven.
  • The cafeteria was a circus at noon.
  • The campfire crackled under the marshmallows.
  • The canoe glided like a leaf on the water.
  • The canoe was a floating leaf.
  • The cat curled up like a comma on the couch.
  • The cat was a warm loaf of bread on the couch.
  • The clock in the hall goes tick tock all night.
  • The coach told us to keep our chins up after the loss.
  • Crunch went the dry leaves under the wagon.
  • Dad's joke went over my head.
  • Drip, drip, drip went the kitchen faucet.
  • The ducks went quack, quack along the canal.
  • The fallen leaves were a golden carpet.
  • The fog tiptoed into the valley.
  • The fresh towels were as warm as toast.
  • Grandpa has told that story nine billion times.
  • The gymnast bent like a willow branch.
  • The gymnast was a human pretzel on the mat.
  • He can throw a ball all the way to the moon.
  • He turned over a new leaf and cleaned his desk every Friday.
  • Her backpack is a portable locker.
  • Her handwriting is a trail of tiny ants.
  • Her handwriting looks like tiny ants in a row.
  • Her suitcase could hold everything in the house.
  • His socks were as stiff as cardboard.
  • I am so hungry I could eat the whole cafeteria.
  • I finished my chores at the speed of light.
  • I have asked you eighty million times to feed the goldfish.
  • I laughed so hard my head nearly fell off.
  • I put my foot in my mouth when I guessed her age.
  • I racked my brain for the capital of the state.
  • I slept for a year after the camping trip.
  • I will not finish this puzzle in a trillion years.
  • The ice on the puddle broke like an eggshell.
  • It is a thousand degrees in this gym.
  • The keys landed on the tile with a clink.
  • The kite tugged at the string like a fish on a line.
  • The kite was a bright bird on a string.
  • The last cookie called my name from the jar.
  • Lena got off on the right foot with her new coach.
  • The lighthouse was a candle for the ships.
  • The marbles rolled across the floor like scattered peas.
  • The marbles were a spilled rainbow on the floor.
  • The melon was as round as a globe.
  • The moon played hide and seek behind the clouds.
  • My alarm clock nags me every morning.
  • My backpack weighs a thousand pounds.
  • My bed is a soft nest on cold mornings.
  • My brother is in the doghouse for eating the last muffin.
  • My cheeks turned as red as beets.
  • My cheeks were two ripe tomatoes.
  • My homework stared at me from the desk.
  • The new pencils stood in the cup like a row of fence posts.
  • Nico jumped the gun and opened his gift early.
  • The pencil danced across the page.
  • The piano waited patiently for someone to play it.
  • The pond was a mirror for the pines.
  • The pond was as still as a photograph.
  • Raindrops slid down the glass like tiny snails.
  • The root beer fizzed over the rim of the mug.
  • The scarf was as bright as a parrot.
  • The screen door closed with a bang.
  • She has ten thousand pages of homework tonight.
  • She passed the quiz with flying colors.
  • Splash went the stone in the creek.
  • The street lamp was a small moon above the bench.
  • The stubborn jar lid would not listen to me.
  • The sun climbed out of bed and stretched over the hills.
  • The sunflowers turned their faces to greet the morning.
  • The surprise was hard to keep under my hat.
  • That board game is right up my alley.
  • That lesson lasted until the end of time.
  • This line goes around the whole planet.
  • Thud went the dictionary on the desk.
  • The thunderstorm was a drum concert.
  • The tired old bus refused to climb the hill.
  • The trees held hands above the road.
  • The truck horn went honk at the corner.
  • The tulips bowed to each other across the path.
  • The tunnel was a long black sleeve.
  • The tunnel was as dark as the inside of a boot.
  • We jumped to conclusions about the missing cookies.
  • We made it to the bus by the skin of our teeth.
  • We waited a hundred years for the bell to ring.
  • We will play it by ear and see when the rain stops.
  • The wet sponge landed with a splat.
  • The whole world saw me trip on the stage.
  • Whoosh went the paper plane past my ear.
  • The wind tugged at my sleeve and begged me to play.
  • Winter wrapped its cold arms around the town.
  • You took the words right out of my mouth.
  • Zoe has her hands full with three puppies.

How this list was compiled: Written for this page: every sentence holds one figure of speech and is tagged with its kind. A simile compares with like or as; a metaphor says one thing is another; an idiom is a set phrase that does not mean what its words say; personification gives a thing a human action; hyperbole is an exaggeration nobody takes as fact; onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like the noise it names. The definitions follow the Wikipedia articles Literary device (where Figure of speech now leads), Simile, Metaphor, Idiom, Personification, Hyperbole and Onomatopoeia, read 2 October 2026. No sentence is quoted from a book, poem or song, and no person, brand or character is named. Licence: own work

How it works

Each sheet draws 10 of our sentences and prints the kinds to circle under each. It opens on simile, metaphor or idiom, the kinds the fourth grade standards name. A second set adds personification, hyperbole and onomatopoeia.

Read the full guide

Simile, metaphor or idiom

A simile compares with like or as: her words stung like a paper cut. A metaphor says one thing is another: her voice was velvet. An idiom is a set phrase that does not mean what its words say: Mia spilled the beans.

All six kinds

Pick All six kinds under Set. Personification gives a thing a human action (the fog tiptoed into the valley), hyperbole exaggerates (we waited a hundred years), and onomatopoeia is a sound word (thud, sizzled). Each sentence prints four kinds to choose from.

  • Some sentences come in pairs: the fog sat like a gray quilt is a simile, the fog was a gray quilt a metaphor.

Questions and answers

What figurative language do 4th graders learn?

Similes, metaphors and idioms. The Common Core asks fourth graders to explain simple similes and metaphors in context (L.4.5a) and to recognize common idioms, adages and proverbs (L.4.5b). Its first mention of personification comes in grade 6 (L.6.5a).

What are the six types of figurative language?

These sheets use six: simile, metaphor, idiom, personification, hyperbole and onomatopoeia. Other lists add alliteration, puns or irony, and there is no single official set.

Can one sentence hold two kinds?

In books, often: thunder that grumbles like a bear is a simile and personification at once. Each of our sentences was written to hold one kind only, so the key has one answer.

Does a figurative language practice worksheet have an answer key?

Yes. Printed or saved as a PDF, the last page is the key: the same sheet with the right kind circled under each sentence. Uncheck Add an answer key as the last page under More options to print without it.

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