Plants and Seeds Crossword Puzzle (free printable)
A free plants and seeds crossword with thirteen words and clues for grades 2 to 5: root, stem, leaf, petal, pollen, photosynthesis, germinate and more, with an answer key.
To save a PDF, choose Print, then “Save as PDF” as the printer. Only the sheets print.
All 13 words are in the crossword (11 × 14 squares).
About this set
Thirteen plant words with a clue for each: the part of a plant that grows underground and drinks up water, the flat green part that makes food from sunlight, the dust-like powder that bees carry from flower to flower, the part that grows from a flower and holds the seeds. The list follows a plant from seed to sprout to leaf and flower, and adds the soil and the sunlight it needs. Third and fourth graders who have just finished a plant unit can solve most from memory, second graders can use the word bank, and germinate and sunlight are a challenge for the whole class. The answer key lists every answer by number.
Grades: 2nd to 5th grade. Best in: March, April, May.
The words and clues
- Seed :
- A tiny package that can grow into a new plant
- Sprout :
- A new plant just beginning to grow out of a seed
- Root :
- The part of a plant that grows underground and takes up water
- Stem :
- The part of a plant that holds it up and carries water to the leaves
- Leaf :
- The flat green part of a plant that makes food from sunlight
- Petal :
- A colorful part of a flower that attracts bees and butterflies
- Soil :
- The dirt that plants grow in
- Sunlight :
- The light from the Sun that green plants need to make food
- Pollen :
- The yellow dust in a flower that helps make seeds
- Fruit :
- The part of a plant that grows from a flower and holds the seeds
- Cactus :
- A prickly plant that stores water in its stem in the desert
- Bark :
- The tough outer covering on the trunk of a tree
- Germinate :
- To begin to grow from a seed
How to use it: five ideas
- Parts of a plant: after solving, students use the answers (root, stem, leaf, petal) to label a drawing of a plant.
- Easier start for grade 2: keep the word bank on, and have partners read each clue aloud before they write it down.
- Explain it: each student picks germinate or pollen and explains it to a partner in their own words, without the clue.
- Write a clue: students write a new clue for “Fruit” or “Flower”, trade with a neighbor and solve each other’s.
- Different layouts: press Make another for each table so each group has a puzzle of its own.
Related
Questions
Are the clues accurate?
Yes. Roots take up water from the soil, leaves make food from sunlight, pollen is carried between flowers by bees and wind, and a cactus stores water in its stem. If you change a clue, check the fact first.
Can I use it with the word search?
Yes. Many of the words are the same, so students can find the spelling in the word search first and use the crossword to show that they know what each word means.
Can I change the words and clues?
Yes. Each of the 13 lines is a word, a colon and its clue. Edit any of them, and the crossword is rebuilt with new numbers.
How do I save it as a PDF?
Press Print and choose “Save as PDF” as the printer. The puzzle is page one and the answer key is page two.
How do I get a different layout?
Press “Make another”. The same words and clues are placed in a new arrangement, so each table can have its own puzzle.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. Your edits stay in this browser. No sign-in, no ads.