Survival Vocabulary Worksheets

Press Print worksheet to match twelve survival words, from shelter and signal to ration and compass, 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.Survival vocabularysurvivalsheltersignalrationcompasspurifyrescuesupplieswildernessstrandednavigatewhistleto find the way across land orwater, often by mapto remove the unclean or harmfulmatter from somethinga region left in its natural state,where nobody livesstores of food, water and gearthat a group depends onthe act of staying alive through ahard or risky timea set portion of food handed outwhen little is lefta flash, noise or gesture thatcarries a messagestuck in a place with no way toleave ita dial with a magnetized pointerused to find directiona tiny pipe that gives a shrill notewhen air is forced into get someone out of trouble andback to safetya covered spot that keeps offwind, rain and cold
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Survival vocabularyAnswer keysurvivalsheltersignalrationcompasspurifyrescuesupplieswildernessstrandednavigatewhistleto find the way across land orwater, often by mapto remove the unclean or harmfulmatter from somethinga region left in its natural state,where nobody livesstores of food, water and gearthat a group depends onthe act of staying alive through ahard or risky timea set portion of food handed outwhen little is lefta flash, noise or gesture thatcarries a messagestuck in a place with no way toleave ita dial with a magnetized pointerused to find directiona tiny pipe that gives a shrill notewhen air is forced into get someone out of trouble andback to safetya covered spot that keeps offwind, rain and cold
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All 36 words

Outdoor survival 12

  • compass A dial with a magnetized pointer used to find direction. "She checked the compass before leaving the trail."
  • navigate To find the way across land or water, often by map. "The sailors learned to navigate by the stars."
  • purify To remove the unclean or harmful matter from something. "The crew had tablets to purify river water."
  • ration A set portion of food handed out when little is left. "Each sailor got a ration of one biscuit a day."
  • rescue To get someone out of trouble and back to safety. "A helicopter came to rescue the climbers."
  • shelter A covered spot that keeps off wind, rain and cold. "Four walkers took shelter beneath a ledge of rock."
  • signal A flash, noise or gesture that carries a message. "Three flashes of the mirror were the signal."
  • stranded Stuck in a place with no way to leave it. "The storm left four campers stranded across the river."
  • supplies Stores of food, water and gear that a group depends on. "The supplies had to last ten more days."
  • survival The act of staying alive through a hard or risky time. "The class read a story of survival on a small island."
  • whistle A tiny pipe that gives a shrill note when air is forced in. "He blew the whistle until someone answered."
  • wilderness A region left in its natural state, where nobody lives. "The plane came down deep in the wilderness."
Show all 36 words (24 more)

Staying alive 12

  • bearings A sense of where you are and which way you are facing. "He climbed a hill to get his bearings."
  • conserve To spend as little of something as possible; not waste. "They agreed to conserve the flashlight batteries."
  • drinkable Clean enough to swallow safely, said of water. "The spring water looked clear, but was it drinkable?"
  • edible Fit to be eaten; not harmful as food. "The guidebook showed which berries were edible."
  • endure To bear something painful or hard without giving up. "The crew had to endure a week of freezing nights."
  • forage To go looking for food that grows wild. "The characters forage for berries along the shore."
  • improvise To make what you need from whatever is at hand. "She had to improvise a sling from a scarf."
  • insulate To wrap or line something so that heat cannot escape. "Thick walls insulate the cabin in winter."
  • lean-to A rough hut whose roof slopes in just one direction. "Branches against a fallen tree made a lean-to."
  • panic Fear that strikes suddenly and blocks clear thinking. "The guide spoke quietly so that panic would not spread."
  • terrain Ground described by its shape, such as hilly or rocky. "The terrain grew rougher past the second ridge."
  • waterproof Sealed so that no rain or wet can get through. "A waterproof jacket kept the map dry."

Safety signs 12

  • caution Great care taken to avoid a risk or a mistake. "A yellow CAUTION sign stood on the wet floor."
  • danger A situation in which someone could be gravely injured. "The red sign by the cliff said DANGER."
  • detour Another route taken because the usual road is closed. "An orange DETOUR sign sent the bus down a side street."
  • evacuate To get people away from a place of risk to a safer one. "A flashing sign told everyone to EVACUATE the building."
  • exit The door or way by which people leave a place. "The EXIT sign glowed green above the door."
  • flammable Able to catch fire and burn very easily. "The paint can had FLAMMABLE printed on its side."
  • keep out To stay outside a place and not go in. "KEEP OUT was painted on the old shed."
  • out of order Broken; not working as it should. "The elevator was OUT OF ORDER, so they took the stairs."
  • pedestrian Someone walking along or across a street. "The sign showed a PEDESTRIAN crossing ahead."
  • poison Something that harms or kills the body that takes it in. "The bottle under the sink was marked POISON."
  • prohibited Not allowed; forbidden by a rule or a law. "Swimming is PROHIBITED when no lifeguard is on duty."
  • yield To wait and let crossing cars or walkers pass before you. "Drivers must YIELD where the two roads meet."

How this list was compiled: Word list chosen for this site on 2026-10-12. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day in two dictionaries: 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 the entry in the Cambridge Dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/). Bearings and supplies were read in Wiktionary under bearing and supply. The answers under the list rest on the articles Survival skills, SOS, Combustibility and flammability and Yield sign of English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. The sentence in quotation marks after each meaning is our own; in the third set it prints the word in capitals, as a sign does. Licence: own work

How it works

These survival vocabulary worksheets print twelve words down the left and their meanings, mixed up, down the right. They open on outdoor survival: shelter, signal, ration, compass. Another set has more outdoor words and a third has safety sign words.

Read the full guide

Outdoor survival words

Set opens on Outdoor survival: survival, shelter, signal, ration, compass, purify, rescue, supplies, wilderness, stranded, navigate and whistle. Staying alive adds conserve, improvise, forage, edible, drinkable, insulate, waterproof, terrain, bearings, endure, lean-to and panic.

Safety sign words for a life skills class

Safety signs prints danger, caution, exit, poison, flammable, keep out, out of order, detour, yield, prohibited, pedestrian and evacuate. Under the tool each word has a sentence that shows it as a sign prints it, such as "The EXIT sign glowed green above the door." More sign words to read are on the functional sight words list.

Questions and answers

What are survival skills?

Techniques for staying alive in any kind of natural or built environment. They are meant to provide the basic necessities of human life, which include water, food and shelter.

What does SOS stand for?

Nothing. When it was agreed on in 1906, SOS was only a distinctive Morse code sequence and not an abbreviation. Phrases such as "save our souls" and "save our ship" were attached to it later.

What is the difference between flammable and inflammable?

None. Both words describe a material that catches fire easily. The in- of inflammable comes from the Latin inflammare, to set fire to, and does not mean "not", so the word is sometimes wrongly read as non-flammable.

What does a yield sign mean?

A driver who meets one must be ready to stop, if needed, and let traffic on the other approach go first. A stop sign asks more: every driver stops completely, even when no other traffic is there.

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