Small Engine Vocabulary Worksheet

Press Print worksheet to match twelve small engine parts, from piston and spark plug to muffler, to their meanings.

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NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Small engine vocabularypistonspark plugcarburetorcrankshaftcylindervalveconnecting rodflywheelcamshaftcrankcasecylinder headmufflerthe device that blends fuel withairthe lid that seals the cylinder'supper endthe part whose spark sets the fuelmix alightthe moving part pushed by theburning gasesthe shell that encloses thecrankshafta weighty disk whose spinsmooths out the enginethe device that makes theexhaust less loudthe spinning shaft driven by thepistona gate that lets gases into or outof the cylinderthe tube-shaped space a pistonmoves insidethe bar linking the piston with thecrankshaftthe turning shaft that opens thevalves on time
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Small engine vocabularyAnswer keypistonspark plugcarburetorcrankshaftcylindervalveconnecting rodflywheelcamshaftcrankcasecylinder headmufflerthe device that blends fuel withairthe lid that seals the cylinder'supper endthe part whose spark sets the fuelmix alightthe moving part pushed by theburning gasesthe shell that encloses thecrankshafta weighty disk whose spinsmooths out the enginethe device that makes theexhaust less loudthe spinning shaft driven by thepistona gate that lets gases into or outof the cylinderthe tube-shaped space a pistonmoves insidethe bar linking the piston with thecrankshaftthe turning shaft that opens thevalves on time
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All 36 terms

Parts of the engine 12

  • camshaft The turning shaft that opens the valves on time. "As the camshaft turned, each valve opened in its turn."
  • carburetor The device that blends fuel with air. "The carburetor was clogged with old fuel."
  • connecting rod The bar linking the piston with the crankshaft. "The connecting rod swings as the piston moves."
  • crankcase The shell that encloses the crankshaft. "In a four-stroke engine, oil sits in the bottom of the crankcase."
  • crankshaft The spinning shaft driven by the piston. "The crankshaft carries the engine's power out to the blade."
  • cylinder The tube-shaped space a piston moves inside. "This small engine has just one cylinder."
  • cylinder head The lid that seals the cylinder's upper end. "The spark plug screws into the cylinder head."
  • flywheel A weighty disk whose spin smooths out the engine. "The heavy flywheel kept the engine from jerking."
  • muffler The device that makes the exhaust less loud. "With a hole in its muffler, the mower roared."
  • piston The moving part pushed by the burning gases. "The piston shot down the cylinder when the fuel burned."
  • spark plug The part whose spark sets the fuel mix alight. "A dirty spark plug kept the mower from starting."
  • valve A gate that lets gases into or out of the cylinder. "The intake valve opened and the fuel mix rushed in."
Show all 36 terms (24 more)

How the engine runs 12

  • air-cooled Kept from overheating by air flowing over it. "Metal fins help an air-cooled engine shed its heat."
  • combustion The burning of the mix inside the cylinder. "Combustion drives the piston down hard."
  • compression The squeezing of the fuel mix before it burns. "Compression happens as the piston moves back up."
  • displacement The volume the pistons sweep; engine size. "Displacement is often given in cubic centimeters."
  • exhaust The burned gases an engine pushes out. "Exhaust leaves the engine through the muffler."
  • four-stroke An engine whose cycle takes four piston strokes. "A four-stroke fires once in every two turns of the crankshaft."
  • horsepower A measure of how fast an engine can do work. "The tiller's engine is rated at five horsepower."
  • ignition The electrical system that fires the spark. "The ignition fires the spark plug at just the right moment."
  • intake The drawing of air and fuel into the cylinder. "On the intake stroke the piston moves down."
  • stroke One full trip of the piston, up or down. "The piston makes one stroke going down and the next coming back up."
  • torque A force's power to make a thing rotate. "A wrench turns a bolt by putting torque on it."
  • two-stroke An engine whose cycle takes two piston strokes. "A two-stroke fires once in every turn of the crankshaft."

Fuel, starting and upkeep 12

  • air filter A screen that traps dust before air goes in. "A clogged air filter starves the engine of air."
  • choke A valve that cuts the air to help a cold start. "She closed the choke to start the cold engine."
  • dipstick A marked stick that shows how much oil is left. "The dipstick showed that the oil was low."
  • fuel tank Where the engine's gasoline is stored. "He filled the fuel tank before mowing."
  • gasket A soft seal pressed between two metal parts. "Oil leaked where the old gasket had cracked."
  • governor A part that evens out the engine's speed by itself. "The governor opened the throttle when the grass got thick."
  • kill switch A switch that shuts the engine off in a hurry. "She hit the kill switch and the engine stopped."
  • lubricate To coat moving parts with oil so they slide. "Oil lubricates the piston as it slides."
  • magneto A magnet generator that feeds the spark plug. "The magneto makes the electricity for the spark."
  • recoil starter A starter with a pull rope that winds itself back. "One pull on the recoil starter and the engine caught."
  • throttle The valve that lets more or less fuel mix in. "Opening the throttle made the engine speed up."
  • tune-up A round of small fixes so the engine runs well. "After a tune-up the old engine ran smoothly."

How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-11. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, and a second time against the entry in the Cambridge Dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/) or, for the engine sense of a term, against an article of the English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), under the same license: crankcase (Crankcase), cylinder head (Cylinder head), cylinder (Cylinder (engine)), stroke (Stroke (engine)), intake, compression, combustion and exhaust (Four-stroke engine), four-stroke (Four-stroke engine), two-stroke (Two-stroke engine), displacement (Engine displacement), governor (Governor (device)), choke (Choke valve), fuel tank (Fuel tank), recoil starter (Rope start, its section Recoil start) and magneto (Ignition magneto). The sentence after each meaning is our own example; what a sentence or an answer on the page says about an engine follows the articles Small engine, Four-stroke engine, Two-stroke engine, Carburetor, Crankcase, Cylinder head, Air-cooled engine and Engine displacement. Licence: own work

How it works

This small engine vocabulary worksheet prints twelve terms down the left and their meanings, mixed up, down the right. It opens on the parts of the engine. Two more sets cover the four strokes, then fuel, starting and upkeep.

Read the full guide

Parts of the engine first

Set opens on Parts of the engine: piston, spark plug, carburetor, crankshaft, cylinder, valve, connecting rod, flywheel, camshaft, crankcase, cylinder head and muffler. How the engine runs prints stroke, intake, compression, combustion, exhaust, ignition, four-stroke, two-stroke, displacement, torque, horsepower and air-cooled.

Fuel, starting and upkeep

The third set has the words of a mower or tiller on the shop bench: choke, throttle, governor, air filter, fuel tank, gasket, dipstick, recoil starter, kill switch, lubricate, tune-up and magneto. Under the tool each term has a sentence, such as "The dipstick showed that the oil was low."

Questions and answers

What is a small engine?

A small, low-powered internal combustion engine of the kind that runs a lawn mower, a generator or a concrete mixer. Many are simple: air-cooled, with one cylinder and a pull-cord starter.

What are the four strokes of a small engine?

Intake, compression, combustion (also called the power stroke) and exhaust. The piston draws in fuel and air, squeezes the mix, is driven down as it burns, then pushes out the burned gases. The crankshaft turns twice in one cycle.

What is the difference between a two-stroke and a four-stroke engine?

A two-stroke engine finishes its power cycle in two strokes of the piston, which is one turn of the crankshaft. A four-stroke engine takes four strokes and two turns.

What does a carburetor do?

It mixes fuel with the air going into the engine and controls how much gets in. Cars and trucks have moved to fuel injection, but some small engines, such as those of lawn mowers, still have one.

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