Thanksgiving Crossword Puzzle (free printable)
A free Thanksgiving crossword with thirteen words and clues for grades 2 to 5: turkey, Mayflower, Wampanoag, cranberry, gratitude 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 (13 × 16 squares).
About this set
Thirteen Thanksgiving words with clues written for students who have talked about the holiday: the foods on the table (turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry, pumpkin), the history behind the holiday (the Mayflower, the Pilgrims, the Wampanoag, the harvest and the feast) and the word at the heart of it, gratitude. Clues are short sentences, some of them fill-in-the-blank, so students use a word as well as spell it. The words cross at shared letters, a different layout comes with every press of Make another, and the answer key is the second page.
Grades: 2nd to 5th grade. Best in: November.
The words and clues
- Turkey :
- The big bird that is the main dish at many Thanksgiving dinners
- Pilgrims :
- English settlers who sailed to America in 1620
- Mayflower :
- The name of the ship the Pilgrims sailed on
- Wampanoag :
- The Native American people who shared a harvest feast with the Pilgrims
- Cranberry :
- A tart red berry made into a sauce for turkey
- Stuffing :
- Bread and herbs cooked inside or beside the turkey
- Gravy :
- A savory sauce poured over turkey and mashed potatoes
- Pumpkin :
- Its pie is a favorite Thanksgiving dessert
- Harvest :
- The time of year when crops are gathered from the fields
- Feast :
- A big meal for many people, with lots of food
- Gratitude :
- Feeling thankful for what you have
- Parade :
- A line of floats, bands and balloons that march down the street
- Cornucopia :
- A horn-shaped basket overflowing with fruits and vegetables
How to use it: five ideas
- Read first: read a short, accurate passage about the 1621 harvest feast, then solve the history clues from memory.
- Partner solve: pairs read each clue aloud, agree on the answer, and then write it in the grid.
- Write a clue: each student writes a new clue for one answer, and the best go on a class crossword.
- Gratitude link: after solving, students write one sentence using the word gratitude.
- Different layouts: press Make another for each table so students cannot copy from neighbors.
Related
Questions
Is the history in the clues accurate?
Yes. The clues say the Pilgrims sailed on the Mayflower and shared a harvest feast with the Wampanoag people in 1621 at Plymouth. Use a trusted class text for the whole story.
Can I use the word bank?
Yes. Turn on the word bank for second grade and leave it off for fifth grade.
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.
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