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Free Year 1 Naming Words: Who or What? Worksheet

Children learn that a naming word tells us who or what a sentence is about. They answer who and what questions with a naming word, choose the naming word that makes sense in a short sentence and decide whether words are naming words, then finish a sentence of their own.

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Year
Year 1
Subject
English
Topic
Nouns
Difficulty
Getting started
Estimated time
10 minutes
Curriculum
New Zealand Curriculum
Questions
17
Answers
Included, with working
Format
PDF (A4), print or complete online

Students will practise

  • finding the naming word that tells who or what
  • choosing a naming word that makes sense
  • telling naming words from other words

Curriculum: New Zealand Curriculum. We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.

What's next?

Completed: Naming Words: Who or What?

Ready for more? Move on to Year 2 English.

How to use this worksheet

  1. Print the PDF or complete it on screen. Write the student's name and date at the top.
  2. Read the instructions for each part together before starting. Encourage working to be shown.
  3. Mark with the answer sheet. Use the model answers and success criteria as a guide rather than a single right answer.
  4. Record the score, celebrate what went well, then follow the "What's next" suggestion.

Common questions

Who is this worksheet for?

Year 1 students (typically ages 5–6) working on nouns. It is pitched at getting started.

Are the answers included?

Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.

How long does it take?

About 10 minutes for 17 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.

Do I need to sign up to download?

No. Click Download Free PDF and it opens immediately. It is free for personal, classroom and homeschool use.

What should we do next?

Explore more Year 1 english resources.

Preview

Success TutoringWorksheetsYear 1 · English · Nouns

Naming Words: Who or What?

Name

Date

Score /

Ask: who or what is it? The answer is a naming word.

Part A: Who or what?

Read the sentence. Write the naming word that answers the question.

1.The duck swims. Who swims? The (answer space).
2.The baby sleeps. Who sleeps? The (answer space).
3.The bell rings. What rings? The (answer space).
4.The ball rolls. What rolls? The (answer space).
5.Dad cooks eggs. Who cooks? (answer space)
6.The cow eats grass. What does it eat? (answer space)

Part B: Pick the naming word

Circle the naming word that makes sense.

7.The (answer space) barks.
  1. Adog
  2. Bcat
  3. Chen
8.The (answer space) quacks.
  1. Apig
  2. Bduck
  3. Csheep
9.I read a (answer space).
  1. Asock
  2. Begg
  3. Cbook
10.I wear a (answer space) on my head.
  1. Ahat
  2. Bshoe
  3. Ccup
11.The (answer space) shines in the sky.
  1. Afish
  2. Bsun
  3. Cbed
12.I eat soup with a (answer space).
  1. Asock
  2. Brock
  3. Cspoon
Free worksheets at worksheets.successtutoring.com · © Success Tutoring · Free for personal and classroom use

Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.

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About this resource

Created by
Success Tutoring
Last reviewed
1 October 2026
How it was made
Written by our team

Free to print and share for personal, classroom and homeschool use. Please don't resell. Spotted an error? Let us know.