12 puzzles · all free to play and print
Native American Word Search
Free Native American word search puzzles to print or play online.
Play online or print
Lands and Waters
8 words to find
- RIVER
- FOREST
- BISON
- EAGLE
- LAKE
- PRAIRIE
- DESERT
- CANOE
Drag from the first to the last letter of a word, or tap the first letter and then the last. The PDF has the puzzle on page 1 and the answer key on page 2.
All 12 Native American puzzles stay free here. Want them as one printable booklet?
12 printable Native American word search puzzles
12 puzzles in three levels. Easy puzzles are 10 by 10 grids with eight words across and down, medium puzzles are 13 by 13 grids with twelve words and diagonals, and hard puzzles are 16 by 16 grids with eighteen words in every direction, backwards too. Themes include Native nations by region, traditional homes, leaders and cultural terms. Every puzzle has an answer key and prints on US Letter or A4. Every one of these 12 puzzles is free: play it online above or print its PDF, with the answer key on page 2. No account, no email.
Easy: across and down 4 puzzles
Medium: across, down and diagonal 4 puzzles
Hard: every direction, backwards too 4 puzzles
Optional · all in one file
Want all 12 in one booklet?
You do not need it: every Native American puzzle above is free to play and to download one by one. The booklet is only for printing them all at once, a 26-page PDF with a cover, a contents page and the answer keys at the back. Buying it also keeps this site free for everyone.
One-time payment, secure checkout with Stripe. US Letter and A4 PDFs, the download link arrives by email.
How to use these Native American word searches
Use these in a classroom unit on Native nations, a library program during Native American Heritage Month in November, or a family afternoon before a museum visit. Teachers can pair a regional puzzle with a map and ask students to find each nation. Pair them with books by Native authors. Each PDF has the puzzle on page 1 and the answer key on page 2.
Make your own Native American word search
Add your own words, a name or a class list to these native american words and pick a level. The preview is free; the printable PDF with its answer key is $1.99.
Good to know about Native American word search
Every Native American puzzle on this page is free to play online and free to print as a PDF with its answer key, one by one. Only the optional booklet, all 12 puzzles bundled into one print-ready file, costs money.
They use the names most common in English. Some nations prefer other names, such as Diné for Navajo or Haudenosaunee for the Iroquois nations. Teachers can use the puzzles to start that conversation and look up each nation's own name.
The medium and hard puzzles group nations by region: the Plains, the Southwest, the Eastern Woodlands, the Northwest and Alaska, and the Southeast and Great Lakes. Each puzzle names about a dozen or more nations.
Famous Leaders and Notable People name historical figures only, including Sacagawea, Sequoyah, Sitting Bull, Maria Tallchief and Wilma Mankiller. All of them have died, and the key on page 2 lets you check each name.
Easy puzzles (10 by 10, words across and down) work from about age 6. Medium puzzles (13 by 13, diagonals added) suit ages 8 to 11. Hard puzzles (16 by 16, every direction, backwards too) are for older kids and adults.
Page 2 of every PDF is the answer key, with each word marked where it hides. When you play online, the Show answers button marks them on the grid.
Every puzzle comes as a US Letter PDF (8.5 by 11 inches) and an A4 PDF (210 by 297 mm). Print at 100% or Actual size.
Every puzzle on this page plays in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer: drag or tap from the first to the last letter of a word. Nothing to install and no account.
Print as many copies as you need for your home, classroom, church group or care home. Please link to this page instead of uploading the files elsewhere.