1,314 FREE Reading Comprehension Worksheets, Games and Tests
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FREE Reading Comprehension Worksheets

Reading is a very important part of learning a language. It's considered a receptive skill, otherwise known as a passive skill, which means that students don’t necessarily have to produce language - just receive it. But more often than not, students have difficulty reading because of vocabulary and/or the context involved. BusyTeacher.org offers 1,314 reading comprehension worksheets that are sure to help your students stay engaged in their reading, by providing interesting stories and effective exercises.

We as teachers don’t always have the time to make up our own stories, or go through books to pick out excerpts to present in our lessons. The reading worksheets on BusyTeacher.org offer a variety of different stories and texts in different categories and genres to help your students improve their reading ability and learn the language, all the while enjoying the stories they're reading. Depending on what you're aiming to teach, you can use these worksheets in a whole variety of different ways in the classroom. If a worksheet has a story that contains dialogue, you could assign roles to students and have them act out what the characters say. You can also use the stories on the worksheets to create comprehension questions. Some worksheets can even make for classroom discussion topics. After reading a passage, you can present a question to students, and ask them to give their opinions of where the story is going. These are just some of the many things you can do to make use of these worksheets in the classroom.

Whether you're teaching scanning, skimming, critical thinking, or reading for gist, BusyTeacher.org has the worksheet(s) you need for your lessons. There are worksheets on just about any topic you can think of - sports, business, history, and holidays to name a few. Another handy feature on BusyTeacher.org is that each worksheet has the level shown in the description, which makes it easy for you to find an appropriate worksheet for your students. The thumbnail can be opened to full page view, so you can check if the worksheet is right for your lesson. Some worksheets you'll find here are appropriate for several - or even for all levels, which means they're reusable for a future lessons with students at different levels.

No registration or subscription is necessary to download our worksheets. They’re all free to download, copy, and use in your lessons. Plus, all of them were created and uploaded by fellow ESL teachers from all around the globe, and have helped other ESL teachers in their lessons. In addition, if you have a worksheet you've created and would like to submit it to this site, you can do so by clicking the “Submit a worksheet” link at the bottom of this page. Join thousands of other ESL teachers using BusyTeacher.org, and bookmark us as your number-one stop for worksheets to use in your lessons daily! With 1,314 reading worksheets, planning your lessons has never been easier. Get started by checking out the most popular worksheets below. Try downloading one and using it in your lesson today!

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Marcus the Monkey - Reading Comprehension

Marcus the Monkey - Reading Comprehension

, Reading Comprehension
This simple reading comprehension is about a monkey called Marcus. Find out where Marcus lives, what he likes to eat and what he likes to do. This is a great way for young children to learn about ...
5 Views 14,373 Elem
Tom Goes Fishing

Tom Goes Fishing

, Reading Comprehension
The title of this worksheet is 'Tom Goes Fishing'. Tom goes fishing with his grandad. Grandad explains to Tom that he must be patient and wait for a fish to pass by. Students read the text and ans ...
5 Views 10,976 Elem
Whales (Non-fiction) - Reading Comprehension

Whales (Non-fiction) - Reading Comprehension

, Reading Comprehension
Whales have been swimming in the oceans for millions of years. They are large, gentle mammals. Whales are warm-blooded and have no fur. This reading comprehension includes some interesting facts a ...
5 Views 16,648 Elem
Shopping with Mum - Reading Comprehension

Shopping with Mum - Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension
The title of this English worksheet is 'Shopping with Mum'. It is about a boy called Ben who goes shopping to the supermarket with his mum. Ss read the comprehension and answer the accompanying st ...
8 Views 29,109 Elem
Rebus Story 2

Rebus Story 2

My summer: this is a rebus story, that is to say, a story which combines words and pictures. Here, pictures represent entire words. There is a colour version, a B&W one and the key. This type ...
9 Views 16,933 ElemPre-Int
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Forest Wildlife - Reading Comprehension

Forest Wildlife - Reading Comprehension

, Reading Comprehension
This reading comprehension includes interesting facts about forest wildlife. How do trees in a forest help the animals that live there? What does nocturnal mean? Students read the article and answ ...
10 Views 26,192 Elem
Seashore Wildlife - Reading Comprehension

Seashore Wildlife - Reading Comprehension

, Reading Comprehension
This reading comprehension includes interesting facts about seashore wildlife. How do plants help some of the seashore creatures? Why are crabs called the seashore's 'cleaners'? Students read the ...
6 Views 15,561 Elem
Reading Help Wanted Ads

Reading Help Wanted Ads

, , Reading Comprehension
This worksheet helps with the very necessary skill of reading and comprehending employment ads. Included is a list of common abbreviations found in ads and what they stand for. Introduce this to ...
10 Views 39,843 Pre-IntInt
I Like to Dance - Reading Comprehension

I Like to Dance - Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension
The title of this English worksheet is 'I like to dance'. It is about a girl called Louise, she is six years old and she loves to dance. Ss read the comprehension and answer the accompanying study ...
9 Views 24,089 Elem
Chocolate

Chocolate

Reading Comprehension
This is a 5 series worksheet about "Chocolate", you will work with comprehension, T/F activities, and they will work with adjectives, nouns or verbs. Students will order their thinking in section ...
6 Views 9,479 Int
Driverless Cars

Driverless Cars

, , Reading Comprehension
The objective is to be able to understand and retain what has been read. Since the text for reading is about automated cars, the tutor can speak to the learners about  other spheres in our li ...
11 Views 17,710 Adv
Say! Chinese ESL Boy Helps Disabled

Say! Chinese ESL Boy Helps Disabled

, , Reading Comprehension
This sheet is part of a unit on volunteering in New Zealand. It gives students an opportunity to work in a small group to reach a clear understanding of the text, expand their vocabulary and free ...
5 Views 7,721 Pre-Int
Movie Worksheet: The Discovery of America

Movie Worksheet: The Discovery of America

, Reading Comprehension,
This worksheet consists of 2 parts: 1) a text and some tasks for elementary students; 2) "Christopher Columbus" (1960) transcript and some tasks to it for pre-intermediate and intermedia ...
11 Views 21,846 ElemPre-IntInt
Movie Worksheet: Contamination Scare

Movie Worksheet: Contamination Scare

This is a two-page reading and video worksheet targeted at Upper-Intermediate and Advanced students. Before reading the article the teacher encourages the students to talk about dairy products, t ...
10 Views 8,166 Adv
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - Reading Comprehension

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension
Which ancient wonder can still be seen today? Who created the Great Statue of Zeus? Students discover some interesting facts about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. They must read the articl ...
21 Views 41,838 Elem
Mosquitoes - Reading Comprehension

Mosquitoes - Reading Comprehension

, Reading Comprehension
Do you know what causes the red itchy bump after a mosquito bite? This English reading comprehension is all about the tiny buzzing creatures - mosquitoes! Students discover some interesting facts ...
10 Views 13,602 Elem
Scorpions - Reading Comprehension

Scorpions - Reading Comprehension

, Reading Comprehension
What is the name of the poisonous tip on a scorpion's tail? What happens to scorpions when they are put under an ultraviolet light? This English reading comprehension includes some interesting fac ...
5 Views 12,804 Elem
Pelican - Reading Comprehension

Pelican - Reading Comprehension

, Reading Comprehension
What do pelicans use their pouches for? How do young pelicans get their food? This English reading comprehension includes some interesting facts about pelicans. Students read the article and then ...
4 Views 10,437 Elem
Worms - Reading Comprehension

Worms - Reading Comprehension

, Reading Comprehension
There are many different types of legless creatures we all know as worms, not just the ones we see in our garden. This English reading comprehension includes some interesting information about wor ...
9 Views 9,540 Elem
Camouflage - Reading Comprehension

Camouflage - Reading Comprehension

, Reading Comprehension
Is it a butterfly or a flower? Camouflage helps animals hide from their predators. This English reading comprehension includes some interesting facts about camouflage. Find out which animals use c ...
6 Views 25,554 Elem
John F. Kennedy - Reading Comprehension

John F. Kennedy - Reading Comprehension

, Reading Comprehension
John F. Kennedy was born in May, 1917. He was the 35th President of the United States. This English handout is a reading comprehension about John F. Kennedy. Students read the text and then answer ...
6 Views 19,545 Elem
George Washington - Reading Comprehension

George Washington - Reading Comprehension

, Reading Comprehension
George Washington was born in February, 1732. He became the first president of the United States in 1789. This English handout is a reading comprehension about George Washington. Students read the ...
10 Views 17,537 Elem
Best Job in the World

Best Job in the World

, Reading Comprehension
This is a great way to talk about jobs and job benefits without it getting too boring! First we talked about what each persons "best" job would be and then we discussed the background to the text. ...
14 Views 77,638 Int
Science and the Future

Science and the Future

, , Reading Comprehension
I prepared this for an upper-int to advanced adult class. I adapted it from an article from the Guardian. It really got the students talking and debating. They were really interested. The best way ...
6 Views 11,914 Adv
Multiple Intelligences Crossword

Multiple Intelligences Crossword

This worksheet is aimed at teachers and advanced students interested in learning about the different types of learning processes. It describes each type of intelligence briefly, and the most suita ...
3 Views 12,214 Adv

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