Printable Thanksgiving Word Search
Ready whenever you are — these print the same in September as they do in December.
Ready whenever you are — these print the same in September as they do in December.
Free to print, as many copies as you like, for a class, a party, a care home or a kitchen table. In the print dialogue choose Save as PDF if you want to keep the file. The answer key always prints with the sheets.
🎯 Find every hidden word, then fill the blanks in the quote.
| P | I | L | G | R | I | M | N | N |
| E | I | E | E | E | I | G | O | M |
| T | E | M | X | T | R | R | I | E |
| S | A | H | I | S | T | L | T | R |
| E | S | Q | O | H | I | S | C | W |
| U | T | U | B | D | L | E | E | E |
| G | T | A | E | S | I | P | F | S |
| H | D | I | G | H | T | D | F | T |
| A | O | B | O | A | R | D | A | L |
Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from ____ and from ____, From _____ and _____, come the _______ and _____, When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his _____ The old broken links of _________ restored.
— John Greenleaf Whittier, The Pumpkin (1850)
🎯 Find every hidden word, then fill the blanks in the quote.
| C | D | E | M | O | R | N | I | N | G |
| H | E | R | C | E | L | B | R | D | B |
| U | V | L | Y | I | N | D | I | F | L |
| R | I | S | E | P | V | N | C | Z | C |
| C | R | O | G | U | N | R | R | U | X |
| H | T | U | K | E | P | T | E | V | O |
| M | N | L | R | X | R | O | P | S | D |
| H | O | L | G | P | H | O | U | S | E |
| R | C | K | O | S | D | E | S | Z | L |
| M | D | O | P | E | L | C | B | I | N |
Great as the preparations were for the ______, everything was so _________ that not a ____ in the _____ should be ____ from the _______ _______ of Thanksgiving in the ______.
— Harriet Beecher Stowe, Oldtown Folks (1869)
🎯 Find every hidden word, then fill the blanks in the quote.
| A | G | N | G | S | H | S | X | N |
| T | E | A | P | A | C | R | M | G |
| M | R | B | A | K | O | E | C | E |
| T | K | U | S | E | L | F | H | T |
| P | R | A | T | O | E | E | C | T |
| O | E | R | S | H | C | A | U | I |
| L | S | H | D | M | S | R | O | N |
| S | H | G | P | B | X | R | T | G |
| B | L | E | S | S | I | N | G | S |
Thanksgiving-day, I ____, If one the ______ _____ must _____, Is celebrated, not so much To thank the Lord for _________ o'er, As for the ____ of _______ more!
— Will Carleton, Captain Young's Thanksgiving (1882)
🎯 Find every hidden word, then fill the blanks in the quote.
| G | S | A | G | A | I | O | E | J | A |
| W | I | I | O | A | G | S | I | L | C |
| R | I | X | L | I | G | S | T | L | L |
| E | N | S | D | F | U | A | E | H | I |
| A | A | B | E | O | R | T | C | M | Y |
| T | W | I | N | S | H | U | O | C | E |
| H | A | W | O | L | U | B | I | F | E |
| E | K | M | N | I | A | R | F | T | E |
| D | E | F | L | O | W | E | R | S | S |
| G | L | O | A | R | D | E | L | I | P |
And let these ______, ________ with _______ And _____ with ______, _____ again Thanksgivings for the ______ hours, The early and the latter ____!
— John Greenleaf Whittier, For an Autumn Festival (1859)
Puzzle 1 — The Pumpkin
| P | I | L | G | R | I | M | N | N |
| E | I | E | E | E | I | G | O | M |
| T | E | M | X | T | R | R | I | E |
| S | A | H | I | S | T | L | T | R |
| E | S | Q | O | H | I | S | C | W |
| U | T | U | B | D | L | E | E | E |
| G | T | A | E | S | I | P | F | S |
| H | D | I | G | H | T | D | F | T |
| A | O | B | O | A | R | D | A | L |
Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West, From North and South, come the pilgrim and guest, When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board The old broken links of affection restored.
— John Greenleaf Whittier, The Pumpkin (1850)
Puzzle 2 — Oldtown Folks
| C | D | E | M | O | R | N | I | N | G |
| H | E | R | C | E | L | B | R | D | B |
| U | V | L | Y | I | N | D | I | F | L |
| R | I | S | E | P | V | N | C | Z | C |
| C | R | O | G | U | N | R | R | U | X |
| H | T | U | K | E | P | T | E | V | O |
| M | N | L | R | X | R | O | P | S | D |
| H | O | L | G | P | H | O | U | S | E |
| R | C | K | O | S | D | E | S | Z | L |
| M | D | O | P | E | L | C | B | I | N |
Great as the preparations were for the dinner, everything was so contrived that not a soul in the house should be kept from the morning service of Thanksgiving in the church.
— Harriet Beecher Stowe, Oldtown Folks (1869)
Puzzle 3 — Captain Young's Thanksgiving
| A | G | N | G | S | H | S | X | N |
| T | E | A | P | A | C | R | M | G |
| M | R | B | A | K | O | E | C | E |
| T | K | U | S | E | L | F | H | T |
| P | R | A | T | O | E | E | C | T |
| O | E | R | S | H | C | A | U | I |
| L | S | H | D | M | S | R | O | N |
| S | H | G | P | B | X | R | T | G |
| B | L | E | S | S | I | N | G | S |
Thanksgiving-day, I fear, If one the solemn truth must touch, Is celebrated, not so much To thank the Lord for blessings o'er, As for the sake of getting more!
— Will Carleton, Captain Young's Thanksgiving (1882)
Puzzle 4 — For an Autumn Festival
| G | S | A | G | A | I | O | E | J | A |
| W | I | I | O | A | G | S | I | L | C |
| R | I | X | L | I | G | S | T | L | L |
| E | N | S | D | F | U | A | E | H | I |
| A | A | B | E | O | R | T | C | M | Y |
| T | W | I | N | S | H | U | O | C | E |
| H | A | W | O | L | U | B | I | F | E |
| E | K | M | N | I | A | R | F | T | E |
| D | E | F | L | O | W | E | R | S | S |
| G | L | O | A | R | D | E | L | I | P |
And let these altars, wreathed with flowers And piled with fruits, awake again Thanksgivings for the golden hours, The early and the latter rain!
— John Greenleaf Whittier, For an Autumn Festival (1859)
The same 4 puzzles, playable in your browser. Drag across a word to mark it.
Thanksgiving has a long wait in the middle of it, and these are made for that wait. Print a few sheets before the guests arrive and leave them where people are sitting. Each grid hides the missing words of a real piece of Thanksgiving writing — Whittier's 'The Pumpkin', a Thanksgiving morning from Harriet Beecher Stowe — so the puzzle ends in something you could read out at the table.
As many as you want, for any group. These are free to print for a family table, a classroom, a care home activity hour, a church hall or an office lunch. There is no licence to buy and nothing to attribute.
These sit in the middle — a child who reads confidently will manage them, especially with someone reading the passage aloud first, which is a good way to play it at a table anyway. The Christmas word searches for adults are the harder end of the range if you want to give the grown-ups something to chew on.
John Greenleaf Whittier's 'The Pumpkin' and 'For an Autumn Festival', a Thanksgiving morning scene from Harriet Beecher Stowe's 'Oldtown Folks' (1869), and Will Carleton's wry 'Captain Young's Thanksgiving'. All public domain, all with author, work, year and source page recorded in the data.
Yes. On screen it stays folded behind a button so nobody spoils it by scrolling past; when you print, the key always comes with the sheet as the last page. Whoever is handing the puzzles out gets to be the one who knows.