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Fall Word Search (free printable)

A free fall word search with twenty words (acorn, harvest, equinox, migrate, orchard), a word bank and an answer key. It has no holidays in it, so it fits any classroom.

20 words. “Polar bear” becomes POLARBEAR. Add a clue after a colon (“snow: white flakes”) to put clues in the bank.
Grid size
Difficulty
Up to 40 letters. They fill the first leftover squares, so the letters nobody circles spell it. On the board it flies into place when the last word is found.
Sort and find: the look-alikes hide in the grid and the word bank too, so children decide which to circle.

Use this list in: bingo cards

Fall Word SearchFall Word SearchNameDateBASOSMEQNWSHZINZUFEUBTCCHILLYIIISTREAAUTUMNRRNORCHARDGMLCEREKMAPSFVEAIPKQTERDCMWOEOCGATULOLOTAEOSCORNFIELDAOPATTERAOQNAEERLTBEVNTAWOVSEEEABREEZEXEBERLGCIDERESLLSGFIND THESE WORDSAUTUMNLEAVESACORNRAKESQUIRRELSCARECROWHARVESTCIDERSWEATERFOOTBALLBONFIREEQUINOXMIGRATEGEESEMAPLECHILLYORCHARDCORNFIELDBREEZETRACTORPuzzle 4252Free at teach.peabody.kids
Puzzle ·
Fall Word Search: answer keyFall Word Search: answer keyEvery word to find is circled.BASOSMEQNWSHZINZUFEUBTCCHILLYIIISTREAAUTUMNRRNORCHARDGMLCEREKMAPSFVEAIPKQTERDCMWOEOCGATULOLOTAEOSCORNFIELDAOPATTERAOQNAEERLTBEVNTAWOVSEEEABREEZEXEBERLGCIDERESLLSGPuzzle 4252Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key ·

To save a PDF, choose Print, then “Save as PDF” as the printer. Only the sheets print.

All 20 words are in the apple, and each one appears once.

About this set

Twenty fall words, from short and easy to a real test of careful reading: acorn, rake and leaves for first graders, then squirrel, scarecrow, orchard and cornfield for second and third grade, and equinox and migrate for the students who have met them in a science unit. The words are about the season (autumn, chilly, breeze, harvest, sweater, football, bonfire, tractor), not about Halloween or Thanksgiving, so the puzzle can be handed out in September and again in November. Choose Easy for words that run only across and down, or Hard for backwards words on a 20 by 20 grid.

Grades: 1st to 5th grade. Best in: September, October, November.

The words to find

Autumn · Leaves · Acorn · Rake · Squirrel · Scarecrow · Harvest · Cider · Sweater · Football · Bonfire · Equinox · Migrate · Geese · Maple · Chilly · Orchard · Cornfield · Breeze · Tractor

How to use it: five ideas

  1. Season sort: after finding the words, students sort them into things you see, things you wear and things you do in fall.
  2. Science link: students pick equinox or migrate, look up what it means and write a one-sentence definition on the back.
  3. Leaf rubbing border: students trace or rub a real leaf around the edge of the puzzle before they start.
  4. Partner race: two students get the same puzzle (the same layout) and race to find all twenty words.
  5. Early finishers: print a stack and keep it in a folder labeled “Done early? Try this.”

Related

Questions

Is this puzzle a Halloween or Thanksgiving puzzle?

No. Neither holiday is in the list, so it fits every school. There are Halloween and Thanksgiving word searches if you want those instead.

Can I change the difficulty?

Yes. It is set to Medium (across, down and diagonal). Pick Easy or Hard and a grid size from 10 to 20, and the puzzle rebuilds at once.

Can I change the words or the difficulty?

Yes. Edit the 20 words in the box, choose Easy, Medium or Hard, pick a grid size from 8 to 25 and a shape, and add a secret message if you like. The puzzle rebuilds as you change it, and any word that cannot fit is listed.

Can we play it on the board?

Yes. Press “Play on the board”: the class finds words by dragging across them or tapping the first and last letters, each find plays a note, and H gives a hint. Press F to fill the projector.

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 are placed in a new arrangement, which is handy when neighbors should not have the same puzzle.

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