Year 3 Prefixes, homonyms and homophones worksheet

“Adding prefixes to words” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 3 English unit “Prefixes, homonyms and homophones”, for children aged 7 to 8, and takes about 20 minutes.

Print it on A4. The child's pages come first; the answers, and what each wrong answer tells you, are on the grown-up page that follows. Weeks 9 to 12 of the year, 14 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Adding prefixes to words

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 3 · English · about 20 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can spell words with un-, non-, dis- and mis- without changing the root word.

A Look back3 min

Do these quick word jobs.

1.
Circle the plural of fox, meaning more than one fox.
foxsfoxesfox
2.
Circle the word that means full of hope.
hopefulhopefullhopeless
3.
Sort these words into the table. Write each word in the right column.
walkwalkedplayplayed
Happening now Happened before

B Watch me, then you4 min

Maya wants a word that means not happy. She joins the prefix un- to the front of the root word happy.

Watch me

un + happy = unhappy

The root word happy has not changed.

Unhappy means not happy.

Now you

1.
Join un- and tidy. Circle the correct word.
untidyuntideyantidy
2.
Join non- and sense. Circle the correct word.
nonsensenonsencenosense

C Your turn7 min

Each row adds a different prefix to a root word. Circle the correct spelling.

1.
un- + kind. Circle the correct word.
unkindunkindekunkind
2.
non- + stop. Circle the correct word.
nonstopnonstupnostop
3.
dis- + like. Circle the correct word.
dislikedislikdisslike
4.
mis- + spell. Circle the correct word.
misspellmispellmissspel

Say it out loud: Did the spelling of the root word change when the prefix went on? Say the root word to your grown-up.

D Spot the mistake3 min

Sam says: “dissapear is right, because that is how the word sounds.”

1.
Sam needs a word that means to go out of sight. Circle the correct spelling.
disappeardissapeardisapear

E Think deeper3 min

Think about the root words you have used today.

1.
Write two real words that use un-, non-, dis- or mis- on a root word. Say how you checked the root word did not change.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Adding prefixes to words · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. foxes

2. hopeful

3. Happening now: walk, play · Happened before: walked, played

B

1. untidy If your child picks untidey, they have added an e that is not in tidy. Say the root word aloud and copy it exactly.

2. nonsense If your child picks nosense, the prefix non- has lost an n. Ask them to say non- then sense, and write all three letters of non-.

C

1. unkind If your child picks unkinde, they have added an e to the root word. Kind does not end in e, so the root stays as it is.

2. nonstop If your child picks nostop, the n of non- has been dropped. Say non- clearly and join it to stop.

3. dislike If your child picks dislik, the final e of like has gone missing. The root word keeps its e.

4. misspell If your child picks mispell, they have written one s. The prefix mis- keeps its s and spell keeps its s, so there are two.

D

1. disappear If your child picks dissapear, they are spelling by sound. Say the parts, dis + appear, and keep the spelling of appear.

E

1. Look for: Two real words, each made from a prefix from un-, non-, dis- or mis- plus a root word, with the root word spelled the same as on its own, and a short check given.

Words to use

Say“Say the prefix, then the root word, then join them. Does the root word still look the same?”

Instead of“Spell it the way it sounds.”

After the sheet

Write un, non, dis and mis on separate cards, and write kind, fair and read on other cards. Join a prefix to a root to make a real word, such as unkind or misread. Check the root looks the same, and say the new word aloud.

Tick what your child got right in StudyDen. Anything missed comes back in a later Look back box, so there's no need to redo the sheet.

The rest of this unit

13 more sheets come with a StudyDen plan, in teaching order:

Spelling with prefixes(with a plan)
Prefix clues for spelling(with a plan)
Build words with prefixes(with a plan)
Same spelling, different meaning(with a plan)
Homonyms in action(with a plan)
Sounds the same, spelt differently(with a plan)
Same Sound, Different Spelling(with a plan)
Joining words together(with a plan)
Joining root words(with a plan)
Listen to the ending(with a plan)
Spelling -sure and -ture(with a plan)
Rare 'ay' spellings(with a plan)
Tricky ay spellings(with a plan)

Every Year 3 English worksheet

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