Prefix and Suffix Worksheets - Free Printable

Let's solve the Matching Prefixes Worksheet step by step.

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Objective:

Match each prefix in the left column with the word in the right column that contains the same prefix.

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Step 1: Understand what a prefix is.

A prefix is a letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning.

For example:
- "un-" in "unhappy" means "not"
- "re-" in "rewrite" means "again"

We need to match the prefixes on the left with words on the right that start with that prefix.

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List of Prefixes (Left Column):

1. ex-
2. inter-
3. anti-
4. pre-
5. counter-
6. en-
7. extra-
8. trans-
9. under-
10. semi-
11. over-
12. extra-

(Note: "extra-" appears twice — likely a typo, but we'll handle it.)

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Words in Right Column:

- underestimate
- overcompensate
- semi-truck
- transcontinental
- expand
- antigravity backpack
- extraordinary
- enlighten
- pre-game
- counterattack
- interstate highway
- underappreciate

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Now let’s go one by one and find the correct matches.

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1. ex- → expand

Wait! “expand” starts with ex-, yes!

But note: The worksheet already has a line drawn from "ex-" to "expand", so that’s correct.

✔ Match: ex- → expand

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2. inter- → interstate highway

“Interstate” means “between states” — “inter-” = between

✔ Match: inter- → interstate highway

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3. anti- → antigravity backpack

“Anti-” means “against” — “antigravity” means against gravity

✔ Match: anti- → antigravity backpack

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4. pre- → pre-game

“Pre-” means “before” — “pre-game” means before the game

✔ Match: pre- → pre-game

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5. counter- → counterattack

“Counter-” means “opposite” or “against” — “counterattack” means an attack in response

✔ Match: counter- → counterattack

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6. en- → enlighten

“En-” is a prefix meaning “into” or “cause to become” — “enlighten” means to cause to become light/knowledgeable

✔ Match: en- → enlighten

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7. extra- → extraordinary

“Extra-” means “beyond” or “additional” — “extraordinary” means beyond ordinary

✔ Match: extra- → extraordinary

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8. trans- → transcontinental

“Trans-” means “across” — “transcontinental” means across continents

✔ Match: trans- → transcontinental

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9. under- → underestimate

“Under-” means “less than” or “below” — “underestimate” means to estimate too low

✔ Match: under- → underestimate

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10. semi- → semi-truck

“Semi-” means “half” — “semi-truck” is a truck with a trailer (half of a full vehicle)

✔ Match: semi- → semi-truck

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11. over- → overcompensate

“Over-” means “too much” — “overcompensate” means to compensate excessively

✔ Match: over- → overcompensate

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12. extra- → ???

We already used extra- for “extraordinary”.

But there are two “extra-” entries in the list — probably a mistake.

Looking at the remaining word:

- underappreciate — this has “under-”, but we already matched “under-” to “underestimate”

Wait — let’s check all words:

Used words:
- expand ✔
- interstate highway ✔
- antigravity backpack ✔
- pre-game ✔
- counterattack ✔
- enlighten ✔
- extraordinary ✔
- transcontinental ✔
- underestimate ✔
- semi-truck ✔
- overcompensate ✔

That leaves only one word unassigned: underappreciate

But we already have “under-” matched to “underestimate” — so can’t use again.

Wait — let’s double-check.

The right column has 12 words:
1. underestimate
2. overcompensate
3. semi-truck
4. transcontinental
5. expand
6. antigravity backpack
7. extraordinary
8. enlighten
9. pre-game
10. counterattack
11. interstate highway
12. underappreciate

So all 12 words are listed.

We’ve matched 11 so far.

Wait — we have two “extra-” prefixes in the left column?

Look:

> 7. extra-
> 12. extra-

So two entries for “extra-” — but only one word starting with “extra-”: extraordinary

That’s a problem.

But maybe it's a typo? Let’s see if any other word could be matched.

Wait — look at underappreciate — it has under-, which we already used.

But we have two “under-” prefixes?

No — only one “under-” in the list: #9.

Let’s list the prefixes again:

1. ex-
2. inter-
3. anti-
4. pre-
5. counter-
6. en-
7. extra-
8. trans-
9. under-
10. semi-
11. over-
12. extra- ← duplicate?

Yes — two “extra-” entries.

But only one word: extraordinary

So either:
- It’s a typo, or
- One of the “extra-” should be something else.

But looking at the words, perhaps “underappreciate” is meant to be paired with under-, but we already used “under-” with “underestimate”.

Wait — no! We have only one “under-” in the list: #9.

And “underestimate” and “underappreciate” both start with “under-”.

So both should be matched to “under-”?

But the instruction says: match each prefix in the right column with the word...

Wait — actually, the directions say:

> Match each prefix in the right column with the word with the same prefix in the left column.

Wait — that doesn't make sense.

Let me re-read:

> Directions: Match each prefix in the right column with the word with the same prefix in the left column.

But that's backwards.

Actually, looking at the layout:

Left column: prefixes (1–12)
Right column: words

So the prefixes are on the left, words are on the right.

So direction should be: Match each prefix (left) with the word (right) that contains that prefix.

But the instruction says:

> Match each prefix in the right column with the word...

That must be a typo.

Because the right column has words, not prefixes.

So the correct interpretation is:

> Match each prefix in the left column with the word in the right column that contains that prefix.

That makes sense.

So now, back to the issue: we have two entries for “extra-” in the left column (7 and 12), but only one word with “extra-” — extraordinary.

Similarly, we have two words with “under-”: underestimate and underappreciate

But only one “under-” prefix in the list (#9).

So likely, the worksheet has a typo — probably the second “extra-” should be “under-”.

Alternatively, maybe the second “extra-” is meant to be “over-” or something else.

But let’s count:

- Prefixes: 12 items
- Words: 12 items

So we need to match each prefix to a unique word.

Let’s list all prefixes and their possible matches:

| Prefix | Possible Word(s) |
|--------|------------------|
| ex- | expand |
| inter- | interstate highway |
| anti- | antigravity backpack |
| pre- | pre-game |
| counter- | counterattack |
| en- | enlighten |
| extra- | extraordinary |
| trans- | transcontinental |
| under- | underestimate, underappreciate |
| semi- | semi-truck |
| over- | overcompensate |
| extra- | ??? |

We have two “extra-” prefixes, but only one word with “extra-”.

We have one “under-” prefix, but two words with “under-”.

So the most logical fix is that #12 “extra-” should be “under-” — since “underappreciate” is still unmatched.

Alternatively, #12 might be “under-” instead of “extra-”.

Given that, let’s assume:

- #12 is under- (typo)

Then we can match:

- #9 under- → underestimate
- #12 under- → underappreciate

But wait — we can’t have two “under-” prefixes unless the worksheet allows it.

But since the list shows only one “under-”, and two “extra-”, it’s likely a copy-paste error.

Another possibility: #12 is “under-”, and #7 is “extra-”.

But both are written as “extra-”.

Looking at the image: it says:

> 12. extra-
> underappreciate

But “underappreciate” does not start with “extra-” — it starts with “under-”.

So clearly, #12 should be “under-”, not “extra-”.

Therefore, the worksheet has a typo — #12 should be “under-”, not “extra-”.

So corrected list:

1. ex-
2. inter-
3. anti-
4. pre-
5. counter-
6. en-
7. extra-
8. trans-
9. under-
10. semi-
11. over-
12. under- ← typo: should be “under-” (but currently labeled “extra-”)

But we only have one “under-” in the list — #9.

So perhaps the second “extra-” is a typo and should be “under-”.

Thus, #12 should be “under-”, and the word “underappreciate” goes with it.

But then we have two “under-” prefixes: #9 and #12 — which is fine if they’re both “under-”.

But the original says “extra-” for #12.

So the best conclusion is: #12 is mislabeled — it should be “under-”.

Therefore, final matching:

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✔ Final Correct Matches:

1. ex- → expand
2. inter- → interstate highway
3. anti- → antigravity backpack
4. pre- → pre-game
5. counter- → counterattack
6. en- → enlighten
7. extra- → extraordinary
8. trans- → transcontinental
9. under- → underestimate
10. semi- → semi-truck
11. over- → overcompensate
12. under- → underappreciate ← (assuming typo: “extra-” should be “under-”)

But since the worksheet says #12 is “extra-”, and “underappreciate” does not have “extra-”, we cannot match them.

Therefore, the worksheet has an error.

But let’s check: is there any word with “extra-” besides “extraordinary”? No.

Is there any word with “under-” besides “underestimate” and “underappreciate”? Yes — both.

So the only way to fix it is to change #12 from “extra-” to “under-”.

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✔ Best Solution (Assuming Typo):

| Prefix | Matched Word |
|-------|--------------|
| 1. ex- | expand |
| 2. inter- | interstate highway |
| 3. anti- | antigravity backpack |
| 4. pre- | pre-game |
| 5. counter- | counterattack |
| 6. en- | enlighten |
| 7. extra- | extraordinary |
| 8. trans- | transcontinental |
| 9. under- | underestimate |
| 10. semi- | semi-truck |
| 11. over- | overcompensate |
| 12. under- | underappreciate |

(Note: #12 should be “under-”, not “extra-”)

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✔ Final Answer (with correction):

If we assume the last prefix (#12) is a typo and should be “under-”, then the correct matches are:

1. ex- → expand
2. inter- → interstate highway
3. anti- → antigravity backpack
4. pre- → pre-game
5. counter- → counterattack
6. en- → enlighten
7. extra- → extraordinary
8. trans- → transcontinental
9. under- → underestimate
10. semi- → semi-truck
11. over- → overcompensate
12. under- → underappreciate

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⚠️ Note:

There is a typo in the worksheet:
- Prefix #12 is labeled “extra-”, but should be “under-” to match the word underappreciate.

Otherwise, the matching is impossible because:
- “extra-” only appears once (in “extraordinary”), but is listed twice.
- “under-” appears twice in words, but only once in prefixes.

So the intended answer is as above, assuming the typo is corrected.

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✔ Summary:

The worksheet has a small error, but the correct matching is:

- ex- → expand
- inter- → interstate highway
- anti- → antigravity backpack
- pre- → pre-game
- counter- → counterattack
- en- → enlighten
- extra- → extraordinary
- trans- → transcontinental
- under- → underestimate
- semi- → semi-truck
- over- → overcompensate
- under- → underappreciate *(correcting #12 from “extra-” to “under-”)*

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Let me know if you'd like a printable version or explanation for students!