Vegetables word search, free printable with pictures
Roots, leaves, pods and fruit: ten garden vegetables hidden in a 12 by 12 grid, with a drawing of each to colour. Page two has the answers and one short fact for every vegetable, with the page it comes from.
Two pages in each file: A4 83 kB, US Letter 83 kB. Free, with no account and no email address.
The words
The ten vegetables in the grid, with a fact for each.
CARROT
In the 10th century carrots were purple; the orange carrot was created later by Dutch growers.
POTATO
Potatoes were domesticated 7,000 to 10,000 years ago; today there are over 5,000 varieties.
TOMATO
The fruit of the tomato plant is an edible berry, yet it is eaten as a vegetable.
ONION
A freshly cut onion releases a volatile liquid that stings the eyes and brings tears.
PEA
Gregor Mendel's observations of pea pods led to the principles of Mendelian genetics.
CABBAGE
Cabbage is closely related to broccoli and cauliflower; the heaviest one weighed 62.71 kg.
PUMPKIN
The heaviest pumpkin on record, set in October 2023, weighed 1,246.9 kg.
BEETROOT
Betanin, the red colour of beetroot, is used to colour tomato paste, sauces, desserts and jams.
BROCCOLI
The name broccoli comes from Italian for the flowering crest of a cabbage; we eat its flower head.
AUBERGINE
The word eggplant was first used for white aubergines, which look very much like hen's eggs.
For teachers and parents
What is on the sheet, and how to use it.
- Grid
- 12 by 12 letters
- Names
- Ten to find, 3 to 9 letters long
- Directions
- across, down and diagonally, always forwards
- Pages
- the puzzle, then the answers with ten facts
- Paper
- A4 or US Letter; page 1 is line art and needs no colour printer
Who it suits. Our suggestion is children who already read short words on their own, roughly ages 7 to 11. Younger children can colour the drawings while an adult reads the names aloud. This is our suggestion, not a tested reading level.
How long it takes. We have not timed it with a class. The grid on its own is a short activity; the colouring and the facts on page 2 can stretch it to fill a lesson.
In class or at home
- Print page 1 for each child, and page 2 once, for yourself or to share at the end.
- Read the names aloud and look at the drawings together before starting.
- Each child ticks a name in the list when it is found, then colours the drawings.
- Finish with page 2: read a fact or two aloud. Each fact names its Wikipedia page, so older children can look it up and read more.
Questions
Questions about this word search.
Is this vegetables word search free to print?
Yes. Both PDF files, A4 and US Letter, are free to download and print, with no account and no email address.
Where are the answers?
On page 2 of the same PDF: the grid with every name circled, the drawings in colour, and one short fact for each vegetable with the Wikipedia page it comes from. Print only page 1 if you want to keep the answers for later.
Which way do the words go?
Across, down and diagonally, always forwards, never backwards. Each of the ten names is in the grid exactly once; our program checks that before the file is made, and also checks that no rude word turns up among the filler letters.
Should I print A4 or US Letter?
Pick the paper in your printer: US Letter in the United States and Canada, A4 in most other countries. In the print dialog choose actual size or 100%.
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All nine on one page: free printable word searches. Or play Field Notes online, with the same drawings and facts in the browser and a new page every day.