un- prefix worksheets and resources - Galactic Phonics - Free Printable

It looks like you've uploaded a worksheet about prefixes, specifically focusing on the prefixes un-, re-, and dis-. The task is to add one of these prefixes to the words in each sentence so that the sentence makes sense.

Let’s go through each sentence step by step, determine which prefix fits best, and explain why.

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Prefix Meanings:

- un- = not, opposite (e.g., *unhappy* = not happy)
- re- = again, do over (e.g., *rewrite* = write again)
- dis- = not, opposite, or to remove (e.g., *dislike* = not like)

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Now, solve each sentence:

1. Mother will ______ wrap the gift.
→ "wrap" is an action. We want to say she will wrap it again.
✔ re-wrap
→ *Mother will re-wrap the gift.*
✔️ Answer: re-

2. My dad had to ______ connect the light.
→ He had to connect it again (perhaps it was disconnected).
✔ re-connect
→ *My dad had to re-connect the light.*
✔️ Answer: re-

3. John had to ______ plant the seeds.
→ He planted them before, but maybe they didn’t grow, so he must do it again.
✔ re-plant
→ *John had to re-plant the seeds.*
✔️ Answer: re-

4. The teacher told Ann to ______ fold the paper.
→ She folded it incorrectly, so she needs to do it again.
✔ re-fold
→ *The teacher told Ann to re-fold the paper.*
✔️ Answer: re-

5. The man ______ loaded the truck.
→ He loaded it, but perhaps too much or wrong way? Or maybe he unloaded it?
But “loaded” is past tense — we need a verb form.
Wait: “The man ______ loaded the truck.” → This suggests he did the loading again.
So, re-loaded? But the blank is before "loaded", so it's likely:
✔ re-loaded → but the base word is "load", so re-load → "re-loaded"
→ *The man re-loaded the truck.*
✔️ Answer: re-

6. He ______ did his shoes.
→ This is awkward. Likely meant to be: “He ______ tied his shoes.”
But as written: “did his shoes” — probably means “laced” or “tied”.
If he did them wrong, then he might need to undo it.
→ un-did? But "un-did" isn't standard.
Alternatively, if he took off his shoes, then un-tied?
But the word is “did”, so maybe it's a typo.
Let’s assume it's “He ______ tied his shoes.” → Then un-tied would make sense.
But given the original: “He ______ did his shoes.” — this seems incorrect.
Perhaps it's meant to be “He ______ tied his shoes.”
But let's consider: “He ______ did his shoes.” → maybe “undid”?
But “undid” is a past tense of “undo”, and “do” is the base verb.
Hmm. Possibly a typo.
Let's suppose the intended sentence is:
He ______ tied his shoes. → then un-tied
But since it says “did”, maybe it's un-did?
However, “un-did” is not commonly used; instead, we use “undid” (from undo).
But “undo” is not listed.
Wait — maybe the word is “tie”?
Looking at the pattern, likely the sentence is:
He ______ tied his shoes. → then answer is un- → untied
But the sentence says “did”, not “tied”.
Another possibility: He ______ did his homework. — but here it's “shoes”.
Maybe it's: He ______ laced his shoes. → then un-laced
But again, not matching.
Given the options, and the fact that “un-” means “not” or “opposite”, perhaps:
He un-did his shoes. → meaning he took them off?
But “did” is odd.
Alternatively, maybe the word is “tie” and it's a typo.
Let’s assume the sentence is:
He ______ tied his shoes. → then un-tied
But since it says “did”, perhaps it's un-did — but that’s not standard.
Wait — maybe it's “He ______ did his shoes.” meaning he undid the laces?
But “did” is vague.
Given the context, likely the intended word is “tie”, and the sentence is:
He ______ tied his shoes. → un-tied
But since the text says “did”, perhaps it's “He ______ did his shoelaces.” — still odd.
Let’s look at the next sentence.

7. Kim ______ likes eating fruit.
→ Kim does not like eating fruit.
→ So, dislikes
✔ dis- → dislikes
→ *Kim dislikes eating fruit.*
✔️ Answer: dis-

8. The bottle is hard to ______ open.
→ It’s hard to open, but the prefix goes before “open”.
→ “Un-open”? No.
→ “Re-open”? But it’s already closed.
→ “Dis-open”? Not a word.
Wait — “hard to open” — but the prefix should modify “open”.
But “un-open” doesn’t work.
Maybe it's “un-” for “not open”, but that doesn’t fit with “hard to”.
Actually, the sentence is: “The bottle is hard to ______ open.”
That doesn’t make sense grammatically.
Probably it’s: “The bottle is hard to open.” — no prefix needed?
But the instruction says to add a prefix.
Wait — perhaps it's: “The bottle is hard to ______ open.” → maybe “re-open”?
But that implies it was opened before.
Or “un-open”? Not valid.
Alternatively, maybe it's: “The bottle is hard to open.” and the blank is before “open”, so we need to add a prefix to “open”?
But none of the prefixes make sense:
- un-open – not a word
- re-open – possible, but implies it was opened before
- dis-open – not a word
So perhaps the intended word is “close”?
But it says “open”.
Wait — maybe the sentence is: “The bottle is hard to ______ close.” → then re-close?
But it says “open”.
Another idea: maybe it's “un-cork”? But not “open”.
Hmm.
Let’s reconsider:
Perhaps it's “The bottle is hard to open.” and the blank is for a prefix to “open”?
But that doesn’t work.
Unless it's: “The bottle is hard to ______ open.” → maybe “un-” for “not open”?
But that’s not how it works.
Alternatively, maybe the word is “close” and it's a typo.
But let's think:
“The bottle is hard to open.” — no prefix needed.
But we have to choose one.
Wait — maybe it's: “The bottle is hard to ______ open.” → perhaps “re-open” if it was sealed before.
But “re-open” is possible.
Or maybe it's “un-” as in “not open”, but that doesn't fit.
Another thought: perhaps the sentence is “The bottle is hard to open.” and the blank is for “re-” as in “re-open” — but only if it was previously opened.
But without context, it’s weak.
Alternatively, maybe the word is “tighten”?
But it says “open”.
Let’s move to the last one.

9. The rope is hard to ______ tie.
→ The rope is hard to tie — but we can add a prefix.
→ “un-tie”? But that means to untie, not tie.
→ “re-tie”? But that would mean to tie again.
But the sentence says “hard to tie”, so we’re talking about tying it for the first time.
So re-tie doesn’t fit.
“un-tie” doesn’t fit either.
“dis-tie”? Not a word.
So what prefix can go with “tie”?
- re-tie: to tie again — but the rope is hard to tie, not re-tie.
- un-tie: to untie — but the rope is hard to untie?
But the sentence says “hard to tie”, not “untie”.
Wait — perhaps the sentence is: “The rope is hard to ______ tie.” → maybe “un-tie”?
But that would mean “hard to untie”, but the word is “tie”.
Alternatively, maybe it's “untie” — but the blank is before “tie”.
So: “hard to un-tie” → yes!
→ *The rope is hard to un-tie.* → meaning it’s hard to untie.
But the sentence says “hard to tie” — but the blank is before “tie”, so:
“hard to un-tie” → meaning hard to untie.
But the word is “tie”, so un-tie is correct.
So the sentence is: “The rope is hard to un-tie.” → which means it's hard to untie.
But the original says “hard to ______ tie” — so if we put un-, it becomes “hard to un-tie” → which is acceptable.
But is that what it means?
Yes — “The rope is hard to untie” = it's difficult to untie.
So un- fits.
But the sentence says “tie”, not “untie”.
Wait — the blank is before “tie”, so:
______ tie → un-tie → “un-tie” = untie
So: The rope is hard to un-tie. → correct.
So even though the word is “tie”, adding un- makes it “untie”.
So yes, un- is correct.
But is that logical?
Yes — if the knot is very tight, it’s hard to untie.
So the sentence is saying: “The rope is hard to untie.”
So un- is the right prefix.
✔️ Answer: un-

But now back to #8:
“The bottle is hard to ______ open.”
If we follow the same logic:
→ un-open? Not a word.
→ re-open? Possible — if it was opened before and now it's hard to open again.
→ dis-open? No.
So maybe re-open is the best fit.
But “re-open” means to open again.
So: *The bottle is hard to re-open.* → makes sense if it was sealed after being opened.
So re- could work.
Alternatively, maybe the word is “close” and it's a typo.
But based on the text, we have to go with “open”.
So likely: re-open
✔️ Answer: re-

Now back to #6:
“He ______ did his shoes.”
This is problematic.
Perhaps it's a typo and should be: “He ______ tied his shoes.”
Then: un-tied → un-
Or: “He ______ laced his shoes.” → un-laced
But “did” is strange.
Another possibility: “He ______ did his homework.” — but it says “shoes”.
Wait — maybe it's “He ______ did his shoelaces.” → still odd.
Alternatively, maybe it's “He ______ tied his shoes.” and “did” is a typo.
Given the context, and the fact that “un-” means opposite, likely the intended meaning is:
He untied his shoes.
So the word is “tie”, and the prefix is un-.
But the sentence says “did”, not “tie”.
Unless “did” is shorthand for “tie”? Unlikely.
Alternatively, maybe it's “He ______ fastened his shoes.” → then un-fastened
But again, not matching.
Given the confusion, and looking at similar worksheets, likely the sentence is:
“He ______ tied his shoes.” → answer: un-
But since it says “did”, perhaps it's “He undid his shoes.” — meaning he took them off.
And “undid” is from “undo”, which is not in the list.
But “un-” is the prefix.
So perhaps the base word is “do”, and “did” is the past tense.
So: He un-did his shoes. → meaning he undid (unfastened) his shoes.
Yes — “undo” is a verb, and “un-” is its prefix.
So: He un-did his shoes. → correct.
Even though “do” is not in the list, “undo” is common.
And “un-” is allowed.
So:
✔ un- → un-did
→ *He un-did his shoes.*
✔️ Answer: un-

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Final Answers:

1. re- → re-wrap
2. re- → re-connect
3. re- → re-plant
4. re- → re-fold
5. re- → re-loaded
6. un- → un-did
7. dis- → dislikes
8. re- → re-open
9. un- → un-tie

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Summary of Answers:

| Sentence | Prefix | Word |
|--------|--------|------|
| 1 | re- | re-wrap |
| 2 | re- | re-connect |
| 3 | re- | re-plant |
| 4 | re- | re-fold |
| 5 | re- | re-load (re-loaded) |
| 6 | un- | un-did |
| 7 | dis- | dislike |
| 8 | re- | re-open |
| 9 | un- | un-tie |

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Explanation:

- re- is used when something is done again (e.g., re-wrap, re-connect).
- un- is used for the opposite of an action (e.g., un-tie, un-did).
- dis- is used for not liking or not doing (e.g., dislike).

Note: Some sentences may have ambiguous wording, but based on common usage and context, the above answers are the most logical.

✔ Final Answer:
1. re-
2. re-
3. re-
4. re-
5. re-
6. un-
7. dis-
8. re-
9. un-