Science Word Wall: Words and Meanings on Printable Cards

Pick a set, flip a word for its meaning, then print the twelve as labels.

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All 96 words

Living things 12

adapt Living things adapt: over many generations they change to fit where they live.
ecosystem An ecosystem is all the living things in a place, with its soil, water and air.
environment An environment is everything around a living thing: land, water, air, other life.
food chain A food chain shows who eats what: grass feeds a rabbit, the rabbit feeds a fox.
habitat A habitat is the place where a plant or animal lives, such as a pond.
inherit To inherit is to get a trait from a parent, as a puppy gets its coat color.
life cycle A life cycle is the stages of a life, such as egg, tadpole, frog.
offspring Offspring are the young of a living thing. A calf is a cow's offspring.
organism An organism is any living thing: a tree, a beetle, a mushroom or you.
species A species is one kind of living thing. The lion is one species, the tiger another.
survive To survive is to stay alive. Animals need food, water and air to survive.
trait A trait is a feature of a living thing, such as eye color or leaf shape.

Show all 96 words (84 more)

Plants 12

flower A flower is the part of a plant that makes seeds.
fruit A fruit is the part of a plant that holds its seeds, such as an apple or a pod.
germinate To germinate is to begin to grow. A seed germinates when it has water and warmth.
leaf A leaf uses sunlight to make food for the plant.
nectar Nectar is a sweet liquid in a flower. Bees and butterflies drink it.
petal A petal is one of the colored parts around the middle of a flower.
photosynthesis In photosynthesis a plant uses light, water and air to make its own food.
pollen Pollen is a fine powder a flower makes. A plant needs it to make seeds.
root A root holds a plant in the soil and takes in water.
seed A seed holds a tiny young plant and the food it needs to start growing.
seedling A seedling is a young plant that has just grown from a seed.
stem A stem holds a plant up and carries water to its leaves.

Animals 12

amphibian An amphibian, such as a frog, starts life in water and can live on land when grown.
bird A bird has feathers, wings and a beak, and it lays eggs.
camouflage Camouflage is coloring or shape that helps an animal hide, as a moth does on bark.
carnivore A carnivore is an animal that eats other animals. Cats and crocodiles are carnivores.
fish A fish lives in water, breathes with gills and swims with fins.
herbivore A herbivore is an animal that eats plants. Deer and rabbits are herbivores.
insect An insect has six legs and a body in three parts. Ants and bees are insects.
mammal A mammal has hair or fur and feeds its young with milk. A whale is a mammal.
omnivore An omnivore eats both plants and animals. Bears and raccoons are omnivores.
predator A predator is an animal that hunts other animals for food, as an owl hunts mice.
prey Prey is an animal that is hunted for food. A mouse is prey for an owl.
reptile A reptile has scaly skin and breathes air. Snakes and turtles are reptiles.

Earth and rocks 12

crust The crust is the Earth's hard outer layer. We live on top of it.
earthquake An earthquake is a sudden shaking of the ground when rock in the Earth's crust shifts.
erosion Erosion is when water, wind or ice wears away rock and soil and carries the bits off.
fossil A fossil is what is left of a plant or animal from long ago, kept in rock.
landform A landform is a natural shape of the land, such as a hill, a valley or a plain.
lava Lava is melted rock that has come out of a volcano.
mineral A mineral is a solid from nature that was never alive, such as quartz or salt.
rock A rock is a hard, solid piece of the Earth, made of one or more minerals.
sediment Sediment is sand, mud and bits of rock that water, wind or ice carries and drops.
soil Soil is the loose top layer of the land, where plants grow.
volcano A volcano is an opening in the Earth's crust where lava, ash and gas come out.
weathering Weathering breaks rock into smaller pieces. Rain, ice and roots all do it.

Space 12

axis An axis is the line a planet spins around. Earth's axis runs from pole to pole.
constellation A constellation is a group of stars that people see as a picture in the sky.
galaxy A galaxy is a huge group of stars. Our sun is in the Milky Way galaxy.
moon A moon is a body that orbits a planet. Earth has one moon.
orbit An orbit is the path one body takes around another, as Earth does around the sun.
planet A planet is a large, round body that orbits a star. Earth is a planet.
revolve To revolve is to travel around another body. Earth revolves around the sun each year.
rotate To rotate is to spin on an axis. Earth rotates once each day.
solar system The solar system is the sun and everything that orbits it, such as the planets.
star A star is a huge ball of hot, glowing gas. The sun is the star nearest to us.
sun The sun is the star at the center of our solar system. It gives us light and heat.
telescope A telescope is a tool that makes far things, such as the moon, look nearer.

Matter 12

dissolve To dissolve is to mix into a liquid so fully that it seems to vanish, as sugar does.
evaporate To evaporate is to change from a liquid to a gas. A puddle evaporates in the sun.
gas A gas spreads out to fill whatever holds it. The air is a mix of gases.
liquid A liquid flows and takes the shape of its container. Water and milk are liquids.
mass Mass is the amount of matter in a thing. A balance measures mass.
matter Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass: a rock, water, even air.
melt To melt is to change from a solid to a liquid, as ice does when it warms.
mixture A mixture is two or more things mixed together, such as sand and pebbles.
property A property is something you can observe about matter, such as size or hardness.
solid A solid keeps its own shape. Ice, wood and a coin are solids.
solution A solution is a mixture in which one part has dissolved, such as salt in water.
volume Volume is the amount of space a thing takes up. A measuring cup shows volume.

Forces and energy 12

circuit A circuit is a closed path that electricity flows around, such as battery, wire, bulb.
energy Energy is the ability to do work or cause a change. Light and heat are forms of it.
force A force is a push or a pull. A kick is a force on a ball.
friction Friction is a force that slows things that rub together, as brakes slow a wheel.
gravity Gravity is the force that pulls things toward the Earth. It makes a dropped ball fall.
heat Heat is energy that passes from a warm thing to a cooler one, as from a hand to ice.
light Light is energy we can see. It comes from the sun, a lamp or a flame.
magnet A magnet pulls iron and steel toward it. It has a north pole and a south pole.
motion Motion is a change in position. A rolling ball is in motion.
sound Sound is made when something vibrates. The vibrations travel to our ears.
speed Speed is how fast something moves: how far it goes in a set time.
vibrate To vibrate is to move back and forth very fast, as a guitar string does.

Working like a scientist 12

classify To classify is to sort things into groups by what they have in common.
compare To compare is to look at two things and find how they are alike and different.
conclusion A conclusion is what you decide at the end, based on your evidence.
data Data means the facts and measurements you collect, often kept in a table.
evidence Evidence is the facts and observations that show whether an idea is right.
experiment An experiment is a test you set up to find something out.
measure To measure is to find the size or amount of something with a tool, such as a ruler.
model A model is a drawing, object or plan that shows how a real thing looks or works.
observe To observe is to notice with your senses: to look, listen and touch with care.
predict To predict is to say what you think will happen, and why, before you test it.
question A question is what you want to find out. Every investigation starts with one.
record To record is to write or draw what you find, so you can use it later.

How this list was compiled: Own work: our own choice of 96 science words, sorted into eight sets of twelve, with a meaning and a sentence written for each. Each meaning was compared on 2026-09-30 with the entry in the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q= plus the word) and with the opening of the matching English Wikipedia article, for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erosion and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weathering (weathering happens in place, erosion carries material away). The examples in the sentences were read the same day in Wikipedia: Omnivore (bears, raccoons), Herbivore (deer, rabbits), Carnivore (cats, crocodiles), Camouflage (a moth on bark), Frog (egg, tadpole, adult), Mineral (quartz, rock salt), Magnet (two poles; iron and steel), Heat transfer (from warm to cold), Germination (water, warmth), Earth's rotation and Earth's orbit. Licence: own work

How it works

This science word wall holds 96 words in eight sets of twelve: living things, plants, animals, earth and rocks, space, matter, forces and energy, and working like a scientist. Each word has a short meaning behind it.

Read the full guide

Print one set for the unit you teach

The page opens on Living things. The print links sit under the card: Print 12 labels gives the words alone on one sheet, and Print 12 cards adds a second sheet of meanings for the backs. Each card is 60 mm square, a size for a pocket chart, a ring or a desk. The other sets are under Show only.

Interactive word wall: science cards to sort

Let pupils do the sorting. Print two or three sets as cards, cut them apart and deal them out. Each pupil reads a word, turns it over for the meaning and lays it under the heading of its set.

Rotate and revolve are easy to swap: Earth rotates once a day and revolves around the sun once a year.
Weathering breaks rock where it sits; erosion carries the pieces away. Keep those two cards side by side.
Predator and prey make a pair: the owl is the predator, the mouse is its prey.

Questions and answers

What words go on a science word wall?

The words of the unit you are teaching. This list has twelve for each of eight units, such as root, stem and pollen for plants, and solid, liquid and gas for matter.

How big are the printed cards?

Each one is a 60 mm square, and twelve fit on a sheet of Letter or A4. That suits a pocket chart, a ring or a desk. There is no larger strip size.

Where do the meanings come from?

They are our own, in words a child can read, and each was compared with a standard dictionary and with the matching Wikipedia article on 30 September 2026.