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In Your Own Words is a free printable Grade 5 English worksheet on choosing the note that paraphrases without copying or changing the meaning, aligned to Common Core standard W.5.8. 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 23 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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

In Your Own Words

W.5.8

NameDate

Circle the right answer.

1.Source: "Owls can turn their heads much further than people can." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Owls cannot move their heads at all.
  • B.An owl can twist its head a lot further than a human.
  • C.Owls can turn their heads much further than people can.
2.Source: "Earthworms mix the soil, which lets air and water reach plant roots." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.By churning the soil, earthworms help air and water get down to roots.
  • B.Earthworms mix the soil, which lets air and water reach plant roots.
  • C.Earthworms block air and water from reaching roots.
3.Source: "Most of the town's workers once had jobs at the mill." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Nobody in the town ever worked at the mill.
  • B.Most of the town's workers once had jobs at the mill.
  • C.At one time, the mill employed most people who worked in the town.
4.Source: "Sea otters wrap themselves in kelp so they do not drift away while they sleep." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.To keep from drifting while they sleep, sea otters wind kelp around their bodies.
  • B.Sea otters eat kelp before they swim away.
  • C.Sea otters wrap themselves in kelp so they do not drift away while they sleep.
5.Source: "Bees carry pollen from flower to flower, which helps the plants make seeds." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Moving pollen between flowers, bees help plants produce seeds.
  • B.Bees eat pollen so that plants cannot make seeds.
  • C.Bees carry pollen from flower to flower, which helps the plants make seeds.
6.Source: "Lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun.
  • B.Lightning is much cooler than the sun's surface.
  • C.A bolt of lightning reaches a higher temperature than the sun's surface.
7.Source: "Penguins cannot fly, but they are strong, fast swimmers." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.Although penguins are unable to fly, they swim powerfully and quickly.
  • B.Penguins cannot fly, but they are strong, fast swimmers.
  • C.Penguins fly well but cannot swim.
8.Source: "The glacier has shrunk by half in the last hundred years." Which note is a fair paraphrase?
  • A.The glacier has shrunk by half in the last hundred years.
  • B.In a century, the glacier has lost about half its size.
  • C.The glacier has doubled in size in a century.

LessonPrint · W.5.8 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — In Your Own Words

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.An owl can twist its head a lot further than a human.
  2. 2.By churning the soil, earthworms help air and water get down to roots.
  3. 3.At one time, the mill employed most people who worked in the town.
  4. 4.To keep from drifting while they sleep, sea otters wind kelp around their bodies.
  5. 5.Moving pollen between flowers, bees help plants produce seeds.
  6. 6.A bolt of lightning reaches a higher temperature than the sun's surface.
  7. 7.Although penguins are unable to fly, they swim powerfully and quickly.
  8. 8.In a century, the glacier has lost about half its size.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to W.5.8 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.