Free printable science worksheets and charts

States of Matter Worksheet

Solids, liquids, gases and changes of state: choose the activities and print a states of matter worksheet with an answer key.

This free states of matter worksheet generator makes printable worksheets on solids, liquids, gases and changes of state. It runs in your web browser with no sign-up, and nothing you create is uploaded or sent to a server. Use it when you need a solid liquid gas worksheet for class, homework or review. You choose the activities and options on the left, and the printable pages update on the right as you work. Two worksheet types are available: Solid, liquid, gas (the default) and Changes of state. You can use the same settings to make a states of matter handout, or a set of matter worksheets with different versions for a whole class.

How to make a states of matter worksheet

  1. Open the Worksheet menu and choose Solid, liquid, gas or Changes of state.
  2. Tick the activities you want. The default sheet has Label the diagram, Fill in the blanks and Vocabulary matching. Only activities that suit the topic are offered.
  3. Turn Word bank on for an easier sheet, or off for a harder one.
  4. Set Items per activity to 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12.
  5. Turn Color pictures on for soft colors, or off for black line art that children can color and that saves ink.
  6. Edit the Worksheet title, and turn on Name and date line if students need to fill it in.
  7. Choose Paper size: US Letter or A4.
  8. Turn on Answer key pages to add the answers as extra pages, shown in blue.
  9. Check the preview on the right. It updates live as you change any setting.
  10. Click Download PDF to save a sharp vector file, or Print to open the print dialog with only the worksheet pages.

Click New version to shuffle the word bank, matching letters and order, so each student gets a different sheet. Click Copy link to share a link that reopens the same worksheet, including the current version.

The answer key follows the worksheet pages in the same file.

What are the three states of matter?

The three common states of matter are solid, liquid and gas. Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space, and all matter is made of tiny particles.

A solid has a fixed shape and a fixed volume, so a rock or an ice cube keeps its shape when you move it. A liquid has a fixed volume but takes the shape of its container, so milk fills a glass and changes shape when poured into a bowl. A gas has no fixed shape or volume. It spreads out to fill its container, which is why the air in a balloon fills the whole balloon.

How are particles arranged in solids, liquids and gases?

In a solid, particles are packed tightly in rows and stay in place, vibrating rather than moving around. In a liquid, particles are still close together but jumbled, so they can slide past one another. In a gas, particles are few and far apart and move quickly in all directions.

These arrangements explain the properties above. Because solid particles are locked in rows, a solid keeps its shape. Because liquid particles can slide, a liquid flows into the bottom of any container. Because gas particles are far apart, a gas can be squeezed or spread out with little resistance. The Label the diagram activity uses these three particle pictures, so students can match each arrangement to its state.

Heating makes the particles move faster and spread apart, which is why a solid melts and a liquid boils when heat is added.

What are sublimation and deposition?

Sublimation is a change straight from a solid to a gas without becoming a liquid first. Dry ice, which is frozen carbon dioxide, does this at room temperature. Deposition is the opposite: a gas turns straight into a solid, as when frost forms on a cold window. Both arrows are on the Changes of state diagram.

Frequently asked questions

What are the changes of state?

Heating a substance moves its particles faster, and taking heat away slows them down. Melting turns a solid into a liquid, and freezing turns a liquid into a solid. Evaporation turns a liquid into a gas, and condensation turns a gas into a liquid. Sublimation turns a solid directly into a gas, and deposition turns a gas directly into a solid, as with frost.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. Turn on Answer key pages and the worksheet adds pages with every answer filled in. The answers are shown in blue, so you can print the key separately from the student copy.

Which grades is it for?

The wording suits about grades 2 to 5, and there is no grade setting: you control the difficulty with the Word bank switch and the number of Items per activity. Turning the word bank off and using 10 or 12 items makes the sheet harder. The sorting and vocabulary activities use everyday examples such as ice, milk, and air in a balloon.

At what temperatures does water freeze and boil?

Pure water freezes at 0 °C (32 °F) and boils at 100 °C (212 °F) at sea level. Those are the temperatures at which water changes between solid, liquid and gas under normal air pressure.

What does the Sort activity ask students to do?

On the Changes of state sheet, the sort activity asks students to place each process into one of two groups: “heat is added” or “heat is taken away”. For example, a puddle drying up is a case of heat being added, while dew forming on grass is a case of heat being taken away.