Free Printable 3rd Grade Spelling Worksheets

These free printable 3rd grade spelling worksheets provide a week of back-to-school spelling and language arts practice.

The 7 worksheet pages are divided over the first 3 days of the week, followed by spelling dictation on Days 4 and 5.

The worksheets use a weekly list of 12 school-themed spelling words while working on a variety of language arts skills, including:

spelling and phonics
vocabulary and word meanings
grammar and parts of speech
homophones and synonyms
plural nouns and verb tenses
base words and suffixes
rhyming words and alphabetical order

This is Week 1 of the 3rd grade spelling curriculum.

Free printable 3rd grade spelling worksheets for back to school with phonics, grammar, vocabulary, and spelling activities

Answer keys for all worksheets are at the bottom of the post.

Back to School Spelling Words

There are 12 back-to-school words on this week’s spelling list:

teacher
taught
third
grade
class
lesson
passed
mark
exam
pencil
paper
quiz

The spelling words are used throughout the week’s worksheets in short activities that also practice phonics, grammar, and vocabulary.

Day 1 Spelling Worksheets

The first 3 worksheets are for Day 1. They introduce the weekly words while reviewing several language arts skills.

Back to School Picture Words

In the first activity, kids identify and spell 12 school-themed pictures.

Some are words from this week’s spelling list, while others review words learned in Grades 1 and 2.

Free printable 3rd grade back to school spelling worksheet with school-themed picture words

The pictures include familiar school items such as a pencil, desk, books, glue, tape, and bag.

Word Sort and Homophones

On the second worksheet, kids sort 5 spelling words by part of speech, deciding whether each word is a noun, adjective, or verb.

They’ll also work with the homophones past and passed. After learning the difference between the 2 words, kids choose the correct one to complete 8 school-themed sentences.

3rd grade spelling worksheet with a parts of speech word sort and past and passed homophone practice

Spelling and Phonics

The final Day 1 worksheet focuses on the sounds and spelling patterns found in this week’s words.

3rd grade phonics worksheet using back to school spelling words to practice vowel and consonant sounds

Kids look through the spelling list for words with:

an AR sound
a silent E
double ss
a long A sound
an /er/ sound
a Z sound
a long E sound

Day 2 Spelling Worksheets

Day 2 has 2 worksheet pages with several short spelling, vocabulary, and grammar activities.

Word Riddles, Multiple Meaning Words, and Plural Nouns

Kids begin by solving 6 riddles about their spelling words. The clues encourage them to think about what each word means rather than simply how it’s spelled.

Next, they’ll figure out one word that can have 3 different meanings and use it to complete the sentences.

3rd grade spelling worksheet with word riddles, multiple meaning words, and plural noun practice

The last activity reviews plural nouns. Kids write the plural form of 6 school-related nouns, practicing when to add s or es.

Spelling Words and Suffixes

The second Day 2 worksheet begins with 5 fill-in-the-blank sentences. Kids choose the spelling word that makes sense in each sentence.

Next, they’ll separate words into their base word and suffix, working with -er, -ed, and -ing.

3rd grade spelling worksheet with fill in the blanks, suffixes, and missing letter activities

A short missing-letter activity finishes the page with some additional spelling practice.

Day 3 Spelling Worksheets

The last 2 worksheet pages continue working with the weekly words while reviewing vocabulary, grammar, and spelling patterns.

Synonyms, Compound Words, and Verbs

The first worksheet begins with synonyms. Kids find spelling words that mean the same or nearly the same as grade, test,and instructor.

They’ll also complete 2 compound words and sort spelling words into school-related categories.

3rd grade spelling worksheet with synonyms, compound words, word categories, and past tense verbs

The final activity is a quick verb tense review, where kids write the past tense of teach and pass.

Rhyming Words, ABC Order, and Suffixes

The last worksheet begins with rhyming words. Kids find a spelling word that rhymes with each of 4 given words.

Next, they’ll put 5 spelling words in ABC order.

3rd grade spelling worksheet with rhyming words, ABC order, and adding ed and ing suffixes

To finish the 3 days of worksheets, kids add -ed and -ing to base words. This gives them practice forming new words, including words that end in silent E.

Download and Print

The 3rd grade back to school spelling worksheets are free to download and print for personal or classroom use. Use either form below to download.

The PDF includes 7 worksheet pages with enough spelling and language arts activities for the first 3 days of Week 1.

Print the worksheets on regular letter-size (8.5″ × 11″) paper.

Full answer keys can be found below.

Spelling Dictation Sentences

For Days 4 and 5, use these 3rd grade dictation sentences to finish the week.

Dictation gives kids a chance to spell the weekly words independently while also working on handwriting, capitalization, and punctuation. The sentences often include spelling words from previous weeks, providing some built-in review as well.

For Week 1, have your child write the first 3 sentences on Day 4 and the last 2 sentences on Day 5.