What does wallaby mean?
Word: Wallaby
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Wallaby means an Australian animal like a small kangaroo that carries its young in a pouch.
How do you spell wallaby?
Syllables: wal - la - by
Tricky part: The weak vowel in the middle is an a. It is hardly heard, so students often guess e or o instead.
Watch out for: walleby, walloby
Memory tip: Think A for Australia. The animal's home gives it the a in the middle.
Wallaby in a sentence
Example 1: A wallaby stood up on its back legs and looked around.
Example 2: The zoo's new wallaby hid behind the rocks all morning.
Example 3: We read that a wallaby has a long, strong tail for balance.
Fun Fact
The name comes from Dharuk, an Aboriginal language once spoken around Sydney. English took many Australian animal names from such languages.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) walaby
b) koala
c) platypus
d) kangaroo
Show answer
a) walaby. One letter is doubled in the first half of the correct word, and here it is single.
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
walla_ _
a) bi
b) be
c) pe
d) by
Show answer
d) by. The ending is the same as in baby and ruby.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. wallaby 2. emu 3. wombat a. a large Australian bird that cannot fly b. a furry, short-legged animal that digs burrows c. a small grass-eater of the kangaroo family
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
Show answer
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. The kangaroo relative is the wallaby, the flightless bird is the emu and the digger is the wombat.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in this sentence?
A wallaby bounded through the long grass of the national park while the visiters watched from the wooden platform.
a) 2
b) 0
c) 3
d) 1
Show answer
d) 1. Only visitors is wrong: it needs an o in place of the e.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. How does a wallaby mostly move when it is in a hurry?
a) by trotting on all four legs
b) by hopping on its back legs
c) by sliding along on its belly
d) by swinging through the trees
Show answer
b) by hopping on its back legs
2. What is a young wallaby called?
a) a joey
b) a calf
c) a kitten
d) a cub
Show answer
a) a joey
