Free English vocabulary lesson

Greek roots worksheet: English vocabulary with answers

Practice four Greek-derived word parts in English with a free printable worksheet, separate answer key, 20-minute lesson and eight-question quiz.

20 minutes · 4 word parts · 8 written tasks · 8 online questions

For English vocabulary lessons with middle-school and older learners. No Greek or Latin reading is required. Teachers can read the sentences aloud and adjust support for their class.

Download student worksheet (PDF, 2 pages)

Download separate answer key (PDF, 1 page)

No account is needed. Print on US Letter or fit to A4. Page 1 is the reference; page 2 has writing space without solutions. Share the answer key after learners finish. Free to print and share for learning; keep the Word Radicals credit. This permission does not change linked sources’ terms.

Teach roots and context together

Aim: identify a useful word part, explain the whole word in its sentence, and recognize when a root clue is not enough.

0–4 minutes: read the four word parts and examples. Find each part in a complete word.
4–8 minutes: model the worked example. Name the root clue and the extra information supplied by the sentence.
8–16 minutes: complete the written tasks. Use page 1 for support or cover it for recall.
16–20 minutes: compare explanations, then retry the exit task without the key. Use the optional online check for further practice.

Four Greek word parts in English

Root clues and example words
Word part	Clue	Examples
tele-	Far; at a distance	telephone; telegraph
phon- / -phone	Sound; voice	telephone
graph- / -graph	Writing; recording	telegraph; autograph
micro-	Small	microscope

Worked example

We spoke by telephone while we were in different cities. Tele- supplies the distance clue and -phone the sound clue. The sentence confirms communication across distance. The whole word names a device for communication, not just “far sound.”

Why context matters

A microscope makes very small objects easier to see. Micro- does not mean that the instrument must be tiny. Autograph can mean a person’s own handwritten signature; graph supplies a writing clue, but the whole word has a more specific meaning. These English words use Greek-derived parts; they did not all pass directly from Ancient Greek into English.

Hyphens mark word parts in the reference. Do not add those hyphens to the complete English words. A shared spelling alone does not establish a shared origin.

Eight written tasks

Use paper or your own notes. Keep the answer key closed until you finish.

Write the distance word part and its meaning.
Which word part supplies the sound clue in telephone?
Which word part gives a writing or recording clue?
Write the smallness word part and its meaning.
“The museum showed how a telegraph sent coded messages between towns.” Explain the two root clues and the whole word in this sentence.
“The actor wrote her autograph in my notebook.” What does autograph mean here? Why is “writing” alone too broad?
“Our large classroom microscope revealed tiny details.” Does micro- describe the size of the instrument? Explain.
Exit task: explain telephone using both root clues and the example sentence above. What would you check if the sentence were unclear?

Open the written answer key

Accept equivalent wording that preserves the meaning. Ask learners to explain corrections rather than copy them.

Tele-: far or at a distance.
-Phone, related to phon-: sound or voice.
Graph- or -graph.
Micro-: small.
Tele- points to distance; -graph to recording or writing. Here a telegraph is a system for sending coded messages across distance. The sentence supplies more than the root clues.
It means her own handwritten signature. Graph gives a writing clue, but not all writing is a signature.
No. It points to the very small objects or details being viewed. The instrument itself can be large.
Tele- gives distance and -phone gives sound. A telephone enables people to communicate across distance. If uncertain, check a dictionary definition and the surrounding sentences.

Next lesson

Latin roots in English: companion worksheet. Try the other four word parts, then explain one example from each lesson without looking.

Sources and teaching notes

The activities and example sentences are original. Meanings and word histories were checked against Merriam-Webster on October 20, 2026:

The use of both word parts and sentence context follows the approach described in REL Southwest’s grades 6–8 reading intervention guide, Module 3 (PDF, pages 4–5). This worksheet is practice, not a standardized assessment.