Similar Words for Describing People

Have students say each word set aloud and discuss which word feels strongest before they choose. Use the Why and Difference lines to check that they can explain the choice.

Pick the right word for people, such as gentle, meek or spineless, and explain how the three differ. The directions on the page read: Circle the word in parentheses whose connotation, or feeling, fits the sentence. On the Why line, explain how that word differs in feeling from the other two. An answer key is included.

Yes, both. We made it for 8th grade shades of meaning, and it works the same at home or at school. At home, a student can work through it alone and then go over it with you, which shows quickly what is solid and what needs another look. In class it works as independent practice, homework or a warm-up, and you can print one copy or a full set.

Shades of meaning are small differences in feeling or strength between words that share a basic meaning. Damp and drenched both mean wet, but drenched is much stronger.

Read the sentence for clues about feeling and strength, then pick the word that matches. Starving wolves devour a deer, while a grandmother savors each bite of cake.

They are words with different meanings in different settings. Product means one thing in math and another in everyday speech, and students write both meanings and a sentence for each.