Prefixes un- and re- Worksheets

Free printable prefixes un- and re- phonics worksheets. Four practice activities: decodable passage, word sort, phrasing cards, and rapid naming chart.

Grade: 3rd Phase 5: Multisyllable & Word Study Pattern: Prefixes un- (not/opposite) and re- (again/back)
unlock undo unzip unpack unfit unhappy unkind unsafe untie unwell redo refill

1 Decodable Reading Passage

A short, decodable story embedding prefixes un- and re- words. Students read the passage then highlight all the target words.

Jane's Painted Box
Skill: Prefixes un- and re-  •  Sight Words: the, a, and, to, was, is, it, she, he, they, said, have, with, you, are, of, for, her, there, one, into, what, when, out, about
Jane's Painted Box coloring page illustration
Coloring page included in PDF
Jane wanted to make a special box for her friend Pam. She had an old, dusty wooden box on her shelf. It was grey and dull, and she wanted to repaint it with bright green and blue. But first, she had to find her art kit. She dragged her big, heavy art bag out from under her bed. Jane had to unzip the side pocket to find her key. She dug deep down past her crayons and white paper. At last, her fingers hit the cold metal key. She took it out and went to the wooden box. The lock was old and stiff. She tried to unlock the box, but the key would not move. Jane felt a bit unhappy as she worked with the rusty lock. "Please turn," she whispered. She gave it one big turn, and the lock clicked. She could undo the latch and open the lid. Jane had to unpack the box, which was full of old ribbon and rags. Some of the ribbon was in a big, messy bunch. Jane had to untie three tight bands just to clear the space. As she worked, she felt a bit unwell because of the thick dust. She sighed and sat back to rest. She saw her paint jars. They were really dry. She would have to refill them with fresh water from the sink to get the paint wet again. Jane carried her jars to the kitchen. Her small table was a bit shaky and unsafe for painting, so she moved to the big kitchen table instead. She got the water to refill her jars. She also found an old art book. Jane had to reread the steps on how to paint on old wood so she would not make a mistake. She did not want to be unkind and give Pam a sloppy box. Jane took her brush and began to paint. But she went too fast. The blue paint ran into the green paint and made a big, muddy spot. "Oh no," Jane said. She knew she had to redo the top section. She took a damp cloth to wipe the wet paint away. She had to reset her plan and paint much more slowly this time. With careful strokes, Jane painted a beautiful green field with blue flowers. She let it dry under the warm sunlight by the window. When she was done, she had to return the brushes and jars to her art bag. She felt very proud of her work. The box was no longer unfit to give. She could not wait to see Pam smile when she saw it.
Circle or highlight all the words that start with un- or re- in the story above. How many did you find?
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Jane's Painted Box decodable reader mini-book
Free decodable reader Read “Jane's Painted Box” as an illustrated mini-book → The full printable story + coloring page, using only prefixes un- and re- sounds your child has learned.

2 Word Sort

Cut out the word cards and sort them into the correct columns: Starts with un- vs Starts with re-.

Starts with un-
Starts with re-
unlock
undo
unzip
unpack
unfit
unhappy
unkind
unsafe
untie
unwell
redo
refill
repaint
rerun
reread
replay
retell
rewind
reset
return
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3 Phrasing Practice Cards

Practice reading these phrases for fluency. Cut out the cards and read them quickly and smoothly.

a unlock
the undo
a unzip
the unpack
a unfit
the unhappy
a unkind
the unsafe
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4 RAN Chart (Rapid Naming)

Read each word in the grid as quickly as you can. Time yourself and try to beat your best time!

Decodable RAN Chart — Prefixes un- and re-
undo
unlock
undo
unlock
unfit
unlock
unpack
undo
unfit
unzip
unlock
unpack
unpack
unzip
unfit
unzip
Target words: unlock, undo, unzip, unpack, unfit
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5 Word Search

Find and circle the prefixes un- and re- words hidden in the grid. Words go across, down, and diagonally — a fun way to reinforce prefixes un- and re- word recognition.

Prefixes un- and re- Word Search
Z
P
U
K
U
N
T
I
E
H
P
G
U
N
L
N
U
N
D
O
P
L
N
U
F
W
W
K
I
T
J
R
P
A
N
I
V
E
J
N
U
E
A
R
U
K
T
V
L
W
N
F
C
U
R
N
I
S
H
L
L
I
K
X
N
E
S
N
O
S
O
L
Y
U
M
Z
D
A
D
E
C
L
S
S
T
T
I
O
F
X
K
V
U
N
H
A
P
P
Y
E
REDO REFILL UNDO UNFIT UNHAPPY UNKIND UNLOCK UNPACK UNSAFE UNTIE UNWELL UNZIP
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📖 Decodable Readers for Prefixes un- and re-

Next step: once your child can sound out these words, have them read a matching decodable mini-book. Each Prefixes un- and re- reader is a printable story + coloring page using only sounds they've learned.

← Endings -ful and -less Worksheets View All Phonics Skills Prefixes pre-, dis-, mis- Worksheets →

Free Printable Prefixes un- and re- Worksheets

These free prefixes un- and re- worksheets give advancing readers structured practice with prefixes un- (not/opposite) and re- (again/back). Activities include a full-length decodable passage that embeds the target words in a story, a word sort, phrasing cards for fluency, and a rapid naming (RAN) chart for automaticity. Each worksheet prints cleanly on standard US Letter paper.

For more early literacy resources, explore our sight word flashcards, tracing worksheets, handwriting worksheets, and coloring pages.