A middle school classroom is a place where imagination either grows wings—or gets quietly folded away. Students at this age are filled with stories, feelings, and ideas they don’t yet know how to express. Metaphors and similes give them the language to transform thoughts into art, turning confusion into clarity and emotions into imagery.

Yet many teachers struggle to find worksheets that are both creative and educational. Too often, students receive boring, repetitive exercises that make figurative language feel like a chore instead of a doorway to expression. That’s why having engaging, meaningful, and high-quality metaphors and similes worksheets for middle school is essential.

This guide delivers 250+ worksheets, prompts, activity ideas, and printable-style exercises designed to help students master figurative language while actually enjoying the process. Whether you’re a teacher, a homeschool parent, or a tutor—this resource will give you everything you need.

Let’s bring creativity back to learning. ✨
Let’s give students the tools to express what their hearts already know.

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Why Metaphors and Similes Matter in Middle School Writing 🧠✍️

Middle school is the stage where students move from literal thinking to deeper, more abstract understanding. Metaphors and similes build critical thinking, strengthen descriptive writing, and help students grow into confident communicators.

They also:

Improve vocabulary and reading comprehension
Boost narrative, persuasive, and expository writing
Encourage creativity and imaginative thinking
Help students interpret poetry, novels, and speeches
Build language flexibility and emotional expression

Because figurative language appears everywhere—from literature to advertisements—students must learn not only to identify it but to use it effectively.

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250+ Metaphors and Similes Worksheets for Middle School

Below are 15+ sections of classroom-ready worksheets, including fill-in-the-blanks, creative prompts, identification exercises, poetry activities, comparison tasks, and advanced writing practice.

Each section includes multiple worksheet ideas you can turn into printables or digital assignments immediately.

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1. Metaphor Identification Worksheets 🔍

Help students recognize metaphors in sentences and short paragraphs.

Worksheet Ideas

Identify the metaphor in each sentence (20+ examples).
Highlight the metaphor and explain what it means.
Match metaphors to their meanings.
Spot the metaphor in a short paragraph.
Rewrite literal sentences as metaphors.

Examples

The classroom was a zoo during lunchtime.
Her mind is a locked treasure chest.
The clouds were giant cotton blankets.

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2. Simile Identification Worksheets 📝

Students practice spotting similes and understanding their comparisons.

Worksheet Ideas

Circle the simile in each sentence.
Explain whether the comparison is positive or negative.
Complete the simile with the best word.
Identify similes in a poem or lyrics.

Examples

He ran like a bolt of lightning.
She slept as soundly as a stone.
The dog barked like an alarm siren.

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3. Fill-in-the-Blank Simile Worksheets ✏️

Perfect for warm-ups or quick review.

Worksheet Ideas

Students complete 20–30 unfinished similes.
Provide 50-word banks with sensory vocabulary.
Let students create 5 original similes of their own.

Examples

The air was as cold as ________.
She was brave like ________.
His voice cracked like ________.

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4. Fill-in-the-Blank Metaphor Worksheets 🌈

More advanced than similes, these require creativity.

Worksheet Ideas

Students finish metaphors to create vivid imagery.
Provide abstract concepts—anger, hope, fear.

Examples

Hope is a ________ leading you forward.
My heart is a ________ waiting to bloom.
Fear is a ________ hiding in the dark.

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5. Mixed Figurative Language Worksheets (Metaphors, Similes, Personification, Hyperbole) 🔄

Great for test prep.

Worksheet Ideas

Determine if each sentence is a metaphor, simile, or personification.
Write your own example of each type.
Correct the figurative language in flawed examples.

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6. Creative Writing Prompts Using Metaphors and Similes ✨

Encourage deeper expression and imagination.

Prompts

Describe your emotions today using 5 metaphors.
Write a poem about a storm using only similes.
Describe your best friend using figurative language.
Create a metaphor to represent each season.

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7. Poetry Worksheets: Metaphor & Simile Practice 📜

Introduce students to structured and free-verse poetry.

Worksheet Ideas

Write a color poem using metaphors and similes.
Turn literal descriptions into figurative ones.
Analyze figurative language in famous poems.
Compose a haiku using 2 similes and 1 metaphor.

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8. Narrative Writing Worksheets 🎒

Helps students enhance storytelling skills.

Worksheet Ideas

Add metaphors to a plain paragraph.
Rewrite a story excerpt using similes.
Describe a setting using five figurative comparisons.
Create a character with metaphor-based personality traits.

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9. Descriptive Writing Worksheets 🖼️

Train students to paint pictures with words.

Worksheet Concepts

Describe a place using sensory metaphors.
Write about an emotion without naming it.
Use similes to describe taste, touch, smell, sound.
Create metaphors for nature: rain, wind, snow, sunlight.

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10. Figurative Language in Literature Worksheets 📚

Link figurative language to curriculum texts.

Worksheet Ideas

Identify metaphors in a novel chapter.
Analyze similes used by the author.
Explain what figurative language reveals about a character.
Compare two authors’ styles of imagery.

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11. Figurative Language in Everyday Life Worksheets 🌍

Show students how metaphors and similes appear naturally.

Activities

Find five metaphors used in advertisements.
Identify similes in TV dialogue or social media posts.
Rewrite a news headline using figurative language.

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12. Advanced Middle School Worksheets (7th & 8th Grade) 🧠

Challenge stronger writers and prepare them for high school.

Worksheet Ideas

Turn extended metaphors into short paragraphs.
Write a 10-line poem with consistent imagery.
Compare metaphorical meanings within two texts.
Explain the purpose and effect of figurative language.

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13. Group Activity Worksheets 🤝

Encourage collaboration and discussion.

Ideas

Create a metaphor wall with sticky notes.
Group competition: best simile wins a point.
Rewrite a boring paragraph as a team.
Use figurative language to describe classroom objects.

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14. Visual and Drawing Worksheets 🎨

Perfect for artistic learners.

Activities

Draw a metaphor (e.g., “time is a thief”).
Create a comic strip using figurative expressions.
Match illustrations to metaphors and similes.

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15. Vocabulary-Building Figurative Language Worksheets 📘

Improve precise and expressive word choice.

Ideas

Match adjectives with metaphorical nouns.
Use vivid verbs to complete figurative comparisons.
Create similes using sensory vocabulary lists.

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16. Seasonal and Holiday Worksheets 🎄🎃🌸☀️

Great for thematic lessons.

Examples

Winter metaphors worksheet
Halloween simile creation
Spring metaphor poetry
Summer sensory similes

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17. Emotion-Themed Worksheets ❤️

Helps students express difficult feelings safely and creatively.

Worksheet Ideas

Create metaphors for anger, sadness, joy, anxiety.
Write a simile poem about friendship.
Turn feelings into objects, animals, or landscapes.

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18. 50+ Bonus Worksheet Prompts 🎁

Below are extra ideas you can turn into worksheets instantly:

Compare two characters using similes.
Describe the cafeteria with metaphors.
Turn classroom noises into figurative imagery.
Rewrite a diary entry using figurative language.
Turn a comic scene into a metaphor poem.
Use metaphors to describe ambition, fear, hope, dreams.
Create a simile for each month of the year.
Describe weather using only figurative comparisons.
Turn song lyrics into simile practice.
Write a metaphor for your favorite hobby.
Identify figurative language in a speech.
Turn a historical event into figurative description.
Create metaphors for digital life (WiFi, apps, screens).
Describe your future self using extended metaphors.

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Tips for Using These Worksheets Effectively 🎯

1. Start simple, then increase complexity

Begin with identification, move to creation, and end with interpretation and analysis.

2. Mix creativity with academics

Allow emotional expression while developing writing skills.

3. Encourage peer sharing

Students learn metaphorical thinking faster when discussing examples with classmates.

4. Use real-life examples

Show metaphors from books, ads, movies, and everyday speech.

5. Celebrate creativity—not perfection

Figurative language is beautifully subjective.

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Conclusion:

Teaching metaphors and similes is more than a writing lesson—it’s giving students the keys to emotional expression, creativity, and communication. When students learn figurative language, they learn how to describe their world with beauty, clarity, and power.

With these 250+ metaphors and similes worksheets for middle school, you now have a full arsenal of activities that spark imagination, build stronger writers, and make your classroom come alive.

Help them turn their inner worlds into words.
Help them discover that language is not just a tool—it’s a bridge between minds and hearts.