Hidden Meanings

This worksheet supports students in Grades 4 and 5 as they strengthen reading comprehension, contextual analysis, figurative language understanding, vocabulary development, and written explanation skills through a short narrative text. Students read a story containing bolded idiomatic expressions and use clues from the plot, characters, and events to determine what each expression means, helping them move beyond literal interpretation to deeper understanding.

Skills Reinforced

• Contextual Interpretation (Grades 4-5) – Students use story details and narrative clues to infer the meaning of unfamiliar expressions.
• Figurative Language Analysis – Learners analyze idioms and understand how nonliteral language functions within storytelling.
• Reading Comprehension – The activity promotes close reading of narrative texts to grasp tone, character reactions, and meaning.
• Clear Written Explanation – Students practice explaining ideas clearly and accurately in their own words.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with upper-elementary English Language Arts standards.
• Story-Based Engagement – A narrative format helps students see how idioms naturally appear in authentic texts.
• Flexible Classroom Use – Ideal for independent work, literacy centers, guided reading, or homework.
• Supports Diverse Learners – Context-driven analysis supports students who struggle with literal interpretations.
• Low-Prep Printable – Ready for use in both classroom and homeschool settings.

This Hidden Meanings worksheet helps students become more confident readers by teaching them how to uncover figurative language through context. By interpreting idioms within a story, learners strengthen comprehension, inference, vocabulary, and explanatory writing skills. It’s a meaningful, engaging resource for classroom and homeschool environments focused on deeper language understanding.

This worksheet is part of our Common Expressions Worksheets collection.