Figurative Language

As a painter uses brushes and paint to create an image, a writer also has tools to create an effect. One of these tools is the use of figurative language, where the writer changes or enhances the normal meaning of words. This enhancement falls into a number of categories, called collectively “figures of speech.” These categories include metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, alliterationonomatopoeia and more.

Figurative Language Worksheets - Printable for the Classroom!

Browse the collection of free, printable figurative language worksheets below from K12Reader! Be sure to check out all of our reading worksheets for more useful tools to bring into the classroom. We proudly provide a myriad of resources to help improve your student’s writing!

Alliteration Worksheets

15 Worksheets
Alliteration Animals Printable Worksheet Activity

What is alliteration? When you hear a tongue twister, you are hearing alliteration. Still wondering what is alliteration? The use of repetition typically occurs within the beginning of each word and is commonly…

Hyperbole Worksheets

7 Worksheets
Add The Hyperbole Worksheet Activity

What is a hyperbole? A hyperbole is a type of figurative language defined as a dramatic exaggeration. Many writers use hyperboles to emphasize a particular detail of a character, setting, or…

Idiom Worksheets

7 Worksheets
Printable Idioms Warm Up Activity for Class or Home

idioms have an actual meanings different from their literal meanings. Idioms are a type of figurative language, adding color and interest to writing. A few common idiom examples are, “high as a kite”…

Irony Worksheets

6 Worksheets
Visual Irony Worksheet Activity

Irony is a literary device that is all about opposites: opposite meanings, opposite results and opposite expectations. In literature, authors often use an ironic twist or comment to make a point or to entertain.…

Metaphor Worksheets

15 Worksheets
Metaphor and Simile - About You -Free, Printable Worksheet Lesson Activity

“She is the apple of my eye” is a phrase that we have all heard once or twice. But is there really an apple in a person’s eye? No, this is just a metaphor to demonstrate how dear a person is to the one…

Onomatopoeia Worksheets

8 Worksheets
Words and Sounds - Printable Onomatopoeia Lesson Activty

An onomatopoeia is any word that indicates a sound is being made. Snap! Boom! Crackle! These are all examples of onomatopoeia, along with words, such as “meow” and “ding dong” This figure of speech is…

Oxymoron Worksheets

6 Worksheets
Printable Oxymoron Warm Up Activity for Class or Home

An oxymoron is a set of words that when put side by side, seem to be contradictory to one another. This figure of speech is common in our everyday language, and we might not even notice it! Some great examples of…

Paradox Worksheets

8 Worksheets
Printable Paradox Warm Up Activity for Class or Home

“You can save money by spending it,” is a phrase that seems self-contradictory, however, it might actually hold some truth. This type of phrase is known as a paradox. Paradoxes are a more complicated literary…

Personification Worksheets

10 Worksheets
Printable Personification Warm Up Activity for Class or Home

Personification is when a human characteristic is given to an inanimate object, an animal, or any other item that is not human. For example, an author may write about a dog that can speak. Can dogs really speak?…

Simile Worksheets

15 Worksheets
Printable Simile Warm Up Activity for Class or Home

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things. Many writers use the words “like” or “as” to compare the two items. A great example of simile can be found…

Pun Worksheets

1 Worksheets
Pun Fun - Practice Worksheet Activity

Puns are a type of figurative language that use either a homonym or a variation of the word to create a different meaning. Often used in a light-hearted way, some authors, including Shakespeare, also use puns in…