Skip to content
LessonPrint

Adages and Proverbs is a free printable Grade 5 English worksheet on what a well-known saying really means, aligned to Common Core standard L.5.5. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 25 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

Next set

One paper per student

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Adages and Proverbs

L.5.5

NameDate

Circle the right answer.

1."Don't count your chickens before they hatch." What does this saying mean?
  • A.Chickens are hard to count.
  • B.Do not rely on something good before it has happened.
  • C.Count eggs carefully.
2."Many hands make light work." What does this saying mean?
  • A.Work is best done alone.
  • B.A job is easier when lots of people help.
  • C.Hands are not heavy.
3."Where there's a will, there's a way." What does this saying mean?
  • A.Every road leads somewhere.
  • B.You need a map to find the way.
  • C.If you really want something, you can find a way to do it.
4."Rome wasn't built in a day." What does this saying mean?
  • A.Building work is slow.
  • B.Rome is a very old city.
  • C.Big things take time to achieve.
5."The pen is mightier than the sword." What does this saying mean?
  • A.Pens are sharper than swords.
  • B.Words can change things more than fighting can.
  • C.Writing is a kind of fighting.
6."Necessity is the mother of invention." What does this saying mean?
  • A.Inventors are always mothers.
  • B.Inventions are not needed.
  • C.People invent things when they really need them.
7."Haste makes waste." What does this saying mean?
  • A.Hurrying saves time.
  • B.Rushing leads to mistakes.
  • C.Waste should be thrown away quickly.
8."Better late than never." What does this saying mean?
  • A.Being late is always fine.
  • B.Never be early.
  • C.It is better to do something late than not do it at all.

LessonPrint · L.5.5 · Set 25 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Adages and Proverbs

Set 25. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Do not rely on something good before it has happened.
  2. 2.A job is easier when lots of people help.
  3. 3.If you really want something, you can find a way to do it.
  4. 4.Big things take time to achieve.
  5. 5.Words can change things more than fighting can.
  6. 6.People invent things when they really need them.
  7. 7.Rushing leads to mistakes.
  8. 8.It is better to do something late than not do it at all.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to L.5.5 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.