Massachusetts Word Search

Find Plymouth, Cape Cod, Mayflower, Chickadee and Paul Revere in a Bay State puzzle that prints with its answer key.

Name Date

Find every word hidden in the grid. Words go across and down.

0 of 12 words found

IOENHGKPOTQSLPT

OFNOTDGTNDDLOGN

PLYMOUTHNAWPOLT

DMGCLQEARRAAUIK

EHIABOCHIATUJGI

MNCPATDUGBBLMHR

IUHEYGAQDOERATE

NMICSRBLTSREYHC

USCOTGRHWTKVFOL

TZKDAVOIEOSELUG

ELASTSCTSNHROST

MZDUEHNNIOIEWEY

EYEHUIUXLHREENA

NAEASCRANBERRYO

ECIPILGRIMSKBTS

This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.

BostonBOSTON
PlymouthPLYMOUTH
Cape CodCAPE COD
PilgrimsPILGRIMS
MayflowerMAYFLOWER
LighthouseLIGHTHOUSE
CranberryCRANBERRY
ChickadeeCHICKADEE
MinutemenMINUTEMEN
Paul ReverePAUL REVERE
BerkshiresBERKSHIRES
Bay StateBAY STATE

12 of 28 words from the Massachusetts Favorites list.

Start from a list

Easy: words go across and down.

More options

Show clues, not words

Word list

Large print Lower-case letters Name and date line on paper

The puzzle changes as you go. See the puzzle

Answer key: Massachusetts Word Search

IOENHGKPOTQSLPT

OFNOTDGTNDDLOGN

PLYMOUTHNAWPOLT

DMGCLQEARRAAUIK

EHIABOCHIATUJGI

MNCPATDUGBBLMHR

IUHEYGAQDOERATE

NMICSRBLTSREYHC

USCOTGRHWTKVFOL

TZKDAVOIEOSELUG

ELASTSCTSNHROST

MZDUEHNNIOIEWEY

EYEHUIUXLHREENA

NAEASCRANBERRYO

ECIPILGRIMSKBTS

BOSTON, PLYMOUTH, CAPE COD, PILGRIMS, MAYFLOWER, LIGHTHOUSE, CRANBERRY, CHICKADEE, MINUTEMEN, PAUL REVERE, BERKSHIRES, BAY STATE

Next step Find all 50 states in one puzzle Make a puzzle from your own town and street names

All 253 words

Massachusetts Cities and Towns 42

Amherst College town in the Pioneer Valley, home of the poet Emily Dickinson.
Boston State capital and largest city, on a harbor at the mouth of the Charles River.
Brockton City south of Boston once known for shoe factories.
Brookline Town next to Boston where President John F. Kennedy was born.
Cambridge City across the Charles River from Boston, home of Harvard and MIT.
Chatham Town at the elbow of Cape Cod.
Concord Town of the North Bridge fight of 1775 and, later, of famous writers.
Deerfield Valley town with a street of very old houses kept as a museum.
Edgartown Old whaling port on Martha's Vineyard.
Fall River Old mill city where a museum fleet of warships is docked.
Falmouth Town at the southwest corner of Cape Cod.
Framingham City between Boston and Worcester.
Gloucester Fishing port on Cape Ann.
Haverhill City on the Merrimack, near New Hampshire.
Holyoke Paper-mill city on the Connecticut River where volleyball was invented.
Hyannis Village on Cape Cod with ferries to the islands.
Ipswich North Shore town known for its clams.
Lenox Berkshire town with a famous summer music festival.

Show all 253 words (235 more)

Massachusetts Cities and Towns, continued

Lexington Town where the first shots of the Revolution were fired on the green.
Lowell Mill city on the Merrimack, built for weaving cotton cloth.
Lynn City on the North Shore once known for shoemaking.
Marblehead Rocky harbor town with a long sailing tradition.
New Bedford Port that was once a whaling capital of the world.
Newburyport Old shipbuilding port at the mouth of the Merrimack.
Newton Suburb of Boston made up of a patchwork of villages.
North Adams Old mill city in the northern Berkshires, now home to a big art museum.
Northampton College town on the Connecticut River.
Oak Bluffs Island town with rows of gingerbread cottages.
Pittsfield Main city of Berkshire County.
Plymouth Town where the Pilgrims settled in 1620; its famous rock is the state's historical rock.
Provincetown Town at the tip of Cape Cod, where the Mayflower first anchored.
Quincy City south of Boston where two presidents, father and son, were born.
Rockport Seaside town on Cape Ann with a red fishing shack that artists love to paint.
Salem Old seaport north of Boston whose ships once traded with the East Indies.
Sandwich Cape Cod town once famous for its glass factory.
Somerville Crowded city just north of Boston.
Springfield City on the Connecticut River where basketball was invented.
Stockbridge Berkshire town that began as a home for Mohican people.
Sturbridge Town with a living-history village of early New England.
Wellfleet Cape Cod town known for its oysters.
Williamstown College town in the far northwest corner.
Worcester City in the middle of the state, nicknamed the Heart of the Commonwealth.

Cape Cod, Islands and Coast 37

Aquinnah Town of colorful clay cliffs at the west end of Martha's Vineyard, home of a Wampanoag tribe.
Beach Grass Tough plant whose roots hold dunes in place.
Boston Harbor Sheltered water dotted with islands, scene of the Tea Party.
Buzzards Bay Arm of the sea with Cape Cod on one side and the mainland on the other.
Canal Cape Cod ___, the waterway that cuts the Cape off from the mainland.
Cape Ann Rocky headland north of Boston.
Cape Cod Arm of sand that curls out into the Atlantic.
Cuttyhunk Outermost of the Elizabeth Islands.
Dory Small flat-bottomed fishing boat.
Dune Hill of sand shaped by the wind.
Ferry Boat that carries passengers and cars to the islands.
Gray Seal Big marine mammal that hauls out on sandbars.
Harpoon Barbed spear once thrown by whalers.
Jetty Wall of rocks built out into the sea.
Kettle Pond Round hollow of water left by a melting block of glacier ice, common on Cape Cod.
Lighthouse Tower with a lamp to guide ships.
Lobster Clawed shellfish caught in traps.
Monomoy Sandy island off Chatham, a refuge for seabirds and seals.
Nantucket Island south of Cape Cod that was a great whaling port.
Nor'easter Coastal storm with strong winds from the northeast.
Piping Plover Small shorebird that nests on beaches.
Plum Island Barrier strip of sand near Newburyport, loved by bird-watchers.
Quahog Hard-shelled clam.
Race Point Beach and lighthouse on Cape Cod's outermost tip.
Salt Marsh Grassy wetland flooded by the tides.
Sandbar Ridge of sand under shallow water.
Scallop Shellfish landed in great numbers at New Bedford.
Schooner Sailing ship with two or more masts; Essex was famous for building them.
Scrimshaw Carving on whale teeth or bone, a sailor's art.
Stellwagen Underwater bank off Cape Cod where whales gather to feed.
Tern Slender seabird that dives for fish.
Tide Pool Rocky pocket of seawater left behind at low water.
Trawler Fishing boat that drags a net.
Whale Watch Boat trip to see humpbacks feeding offshore.
Whaling Hunt for whales that once made New Bedford and Nantucket rich.
Wharf Landing place where boats tie up.
Woods Hole Village famous for ocean science.

Massachusetts Rivers, Hills and Ponds 24

Bash Bish Twin waterfall in the far southwest corner.
Berkshires Hills of the far west.
Blackstone River valley called a birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution.
Blue Hills Wooded heights south of Boston with a weather observatory on top.
Charles River Waterway that separates Boston from Cambridge.
Connecticut River that crosses the state from north to south through the Pioneer Valley.
Drumlin Smooth hill left by a glacier; many of the Boston Harbor Islands are these.
Glacier Sheet of moving ice; one shaped the hills, ponds and Cape Cod long ago.
Hoosac Mountain range pierced by a long railroad tunnel.
Housatonic River of the Berkshires that flows south into Connecticut.
Merrimack River whose falls powered the mills of Lowell and Lawrence.
Mohawk Trail Scenic road over the northern Berkshires that follows an old Native footpath.
Mount Greylock Highest point in the state.
Mount Tom Steep traprock peak above the Connecticut River near Holyoke.
Mystic Short river that flows through Medford into Boston Harbor.
Oxbow U-shaped bend cut off from a river; a famous one lies near Northampton.
Pioneer Valley Farm and college country along the Connecticut River.
Quabbin Huge reservoir that supplies Boston's drinking water; whole towns were flooded to make it.
Reservoir Lake made to store water.
Sugarloaf Small mountain in South Deerfield with a wide view over the Connecticut River.
Taconic Mountain range on the border with New York.
Wachusett Mountain north of Worcester.
Walden Pond Kettle lake in Concord where Henry David Thoreau lived in a cabin.
Webster Lake Water in the south famous for its very long Nipmuc name.

Massachusetts State Symbols 32

American Elm State tree.
Appleseed Johnny ___, the state folk hero, born in Leominster.
Babingtonite State mineral, a shiny black one.
Bay State Nickname of Massachusetts; its people are officially Bay Staters.
Boston Cream Pie State dessert, a custard-filled cake despite its name.
Boston Terrier State dog, a small black-and-white breed named for the capital.
Chickadee Black-capped ___, the state bird.
Chocolate Chip State cookie; the recipe comes from an inn in Whitman.
Cod State fish; a wooden one hangs in the State House.
Corn Muffin State breakfast bake, small and yellow.
Cranberry State berry; its name is also one of the three state colors.
Deborah Sampson State heroine, who disguised herself as a man to fight in the Revolution.
Dighton Rock State explorer stone, a boulder covered in old carvings.
Dinosaur Track State fossil: a footprint pressed into mud long ago.
Ernestina The schooner ___-Morrissey is the official vessel.
Franklin Boston-born printer and scientist, the state's official inventor.
Garter Snake State reptile.
Granite State building and monument stone.
Groundhog The state has an official one, named Ms. G.
Ladybug State insect.
Mayflower State flower; it shares a name with the Pilgrims' ship.
Morgan Horse State breed of its kind, named for a singing teacher born in West Springfield.
Navy Bean State legume, slow-cooked with molasses in a famous Boston dish.
Neptune New England ___, the state shell, a sea snail.
Paxton Name of the state soil.
Podokesaurus State dinosaur, whose name means swift-footed lizard of Holyoke.
Puddingstone Roxbury ___, the state rock: pebbles cemented together.
Rhodonite State gem, a pink stone.
Right Whale State marine mammal, an endangered giant.
Square Dance State folk dancing: four couples follow a caller.
Tabby Cat State feline.
Wild Turkey State game bird.

Massachusetts History 35

Abigail Adams Wife of one president and mother of another, known for her letters.
Abolition Movement to end slavery, strong in Boston before the Civil War.
Beacon Hill Old Boston neighborhood of brick row houses and gas lamps.
Boston Tea Party Protest in which colonists dumped chests of tea into the harbor.
Bunker Hill Early battle of the Revolution, fought in Charlestown in June 1775.
Clipper Ship Fast sailing vessel; Donald McKay built famous ones in East Boston.
Colony Settlement ruled by a faraway country; the state began as two.
Commonwealth Word the state uses for itself in its official name.
Compact Mayflower ___, the agreement to govern themselves that the Pilgrims signed aboard ship.
Faneuil Hall Meeting place and market called the Cradle of Liberty.
Freedom Trail Red line on the sidewalk that leads walkers past Boston's historic sites.
John Adams Second president, born in Braintree, in the part that is now Quincy.
John Hancock President of the Continental Congress, famous for his large signature on the Declaration.
Kennedy Thirty-fifth president, born in Brookline; his family spent its summers at Hyannis Port.
Lantern Two were hung in a church steeple as a signal in April 1775.
Liberty Tree Elm in Boston where colonists gathered to protest.
Massachusett Native people of the bay whose name the state carries.
Massasoit Wampanoag leader who made a peace treaty with the Pilgrims.
Mill Girls Young women who ran the looms of Lowell.
Minutemen Colonial militia ready to fight at a minute's notice.
Nipmuc Native people of the central hills.
North Bridge Span in Concord where minutemen fired back at the regulars.
Old Ironsides Nickname of the USS Constitution, a wooden warship still afloat in Boston.
Old North Church Boston steeple where two signal lamps were shown on the night of the ride.
Paul Revere Silversmith who rode by night to warn that the British regulars were coming.
Pilgrims English settlers who sailed to Plymouth in 1620.
Puritans English settlers who founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630.
Redcoats Nickname for British soldiers.
Sons of Liberty Secret group of colonists who protested British taxes.
Squanto Patuxet man who showed the Pilgrims how to plant corn.
State House Capitol on Beacon Hill with a golden dome.
Textile Woven cloth, the product of the state's water-powered mills.
Thanksgiving Holiday that recalls a harvest feast the Pilgrims shared with the Wampanoag.
Town Meeting Gathering where voters decide local matters themselves, a New England tradition.
Wampanoag Native people of the southeast and the islands, who met the Pilgrims.

Massachusetts Firsts and Inventions 11

Basketball State sport, invented by James Naismith in Springfield in 1891.
Boston Light Lighthouse on Little Brewster Island; a tower was first built here in 1716.
Candlepin Bowling with thin pins and small balls, invented in Worcester.
Common Boston ___, a public park since 1634.
Harvard College founded in 1636; no other in the United States is older.
Rocket Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled one at Auburn in 1926.
Sewing Machine Elias Howe of Cambridge patented his lockstitch model in 1846.
Smiley Yellow grinning face drawn by Harvey Ball of Worcester.
Subway Underground railway; America's first tunnels for one were dug under Boston Common.
Telephone Invention that Alexander Graham Bell worked out in Boston.
Volleyball State recreational and team sport, invented by William Morgan in Holyoke in 1895.

Massachusetts Writers and Reformers 18

Alcott Louisa May ___, who wrote Little Women at Orchard House in Concord.
Anthony Susan B. ___, a leader for women's right to vote, born in Adams.
Clara Barton She founded the American Red Cross; born in Oxford.
Dickinson Poet of Amherst whose hundreds of poems were found after her death.
Douglass Abolitionist speaker who settled in New Bedford after escaping slavery.
Du Bois Scholar and civil rights leader born in Great Barrington.
Emerson Concord essayist and poet who urged self-reliance.
Hawthorne Salem-born author of The House of the Seven Gables.
Homer Winslow ___, painter of the sea, born in Boston.
Horace Mann Reformer of the public schools, born in Franklin.
Little Women Novel about the four March sisters.
Longfellow Cambridge poet who wrote Paul Revere's Ride.
Melville Author who wrote Moby-Dick at his farm in Pittsfield.
Moby-Dick Novel about Captain Ahab's hunt for a white whale.
Orchard House Concord home of the Alcott family.
Thoreau Writer who lived two years in a cabin at Walden Pond.
Wheatley Phillis ___, enslaved in Boston, who published a book of poems in 1773.
Whittier Poet born on a farm in Haverhill.

Massachusetts Food and Farms 19

Asparagus Spring crop that made Hadley famous.
Baked Beans Navy legumes slow-cooked with molasses, the dish behind the nickname Beantown.
Bog Wet, peaty ground where cranberries grow.
Brown Bread Dark steamed loaf, often cooked in a can.
Clam Chowder Creamy New England soup of shellfish and potatoes.
Concord Grape Purple fruit bred by Ephraim Bull in the town it is named for.
Farm Stand Roadside shop selling fresh local produce.
Fried Clams Crisp, battered shellfish, a specialty of Essex and Ipswich.
Haddock White fish of the North Atlantic.
Harvest Gathering of ripe crops.
Indian Pudding Baked dessert of cornmeal and molasses.
Lobster Roll Chunks of shellfish meat in a split-top bun.
Maple Syrup Sweet sap boiled down in late winter.
Molasses Thick, dark syrup from sugarcane, used in baked beans.
Orchard Field of fruit trees.
Oyster Shellfish farmed in the cold waters of Wellfleet and Duxbury.
Scrod Young cod or haddock on a menu.
Succotash Dish of corn and beans with Native roots.
Sugar House Shed where maple sap is boiled.

Massachusetts Wildlife and Trees 35

Bald Eagle National bird, a white-headed hunter of fish.
Barred Owl Night bird whose call sounds like the words "who cooks for you".
Beaver Dam-building rodent.
Birch Tree with pale, papery bark.
Black Bear Large mammal of the western and central woods.
Blue Jay Noisy crested bird with bright feathers.
Bluefish Fierce, sharp-toothed fish of summer.
Bobcat Short-tailed wild cat.
Bullfrog Big green frog with a deep call.
Chipmunk Small striped ground squirrel.
Coyote Wild member of the dog family that has spread across the Northeast.
Deer White-tailed grazer of woods and field edges.
Firefly Beetle that flashes light on summer nights.
Fisher Dark forest hunter of the weasel family.
Goldfinch Small yellow bird fond of thistle seed.
Harbor Seal Spotted marine mammal that rests on rocks and beaches.
Heron Tall, long-legged wading bird of marshes.
Herring Gull Large gray-and-white seabird of every beach and pier.
Horseshoe Crab Sea animal with a domed shell and a spike tail; its kind is very ancient.
Humpback Whale known for leaping and for long songs.
Lady's Slipper Pink woodland orchid shaped like a shoe.
Loon Diving bird with a wild, wailing call.
Mallard Common duck; the male has a green head.
Monarch Orange-and-black butterfly that migrates south in fall.
Moose Huge, long-legged member of the deer family.
Osprey Fish hawk that nests on tall platforms.
Otter Sleek, playful swimmer that hunts fish.
Porcupine Rodent covered in sharp quills.
Red Fox Rusty-coated hunter with a white-tipped tail.
Robin Red-breasted bird of lawns.
Snapping Turtle Large pond reptile with a powerful bite.
Spring Peeper Tiny frog whose chorus is an early sign of warmer days.
Striped Bass Game fish of the surf, known for its dark lines.
Sugar Maple Tree tapped for sap, with brilliant fall leaves.
White Pine Tall evergreen with soft needles in bundles of five.

How this list was compiled: Own work. Words and names about the state of Massachusetts for grades 2 to 8: nine themed lists (cities and towns; Cape Cod, the islands and the coast; rivers, hills and ponds; state symbols; history; firsts and inventions; writers and reformers; food and farms; wildlife and trees), Massachusetts Favorites, an easy list of every word of 3 to 5 letters and a hard list of every word of 8 letters or more. Entries have 3 to 14 letters, and inside one list no word sits inside another, forwards or backwards, which is why Plymouth is listed and Plymouth Rock is not. The grid keeps only the letters A to Z, so Cape Cod is hidden as CAPECOD and Moby-Dick as MOBYDICK. Clues are our own wording; no clue repeats a word of four letters or more from its own entry. No brand, team or living person is listed, and the official beverage is left out; the people named are figures of the state's past. The official symbols follow the Massachusetts General Laws, Part I, Title I, Chapter 2 (https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleI/Chapter2), read 13 October 2026. Places, people, animals and plants were checked the same day against the English Wikipedia article for each entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts, license CC BY-SA 4.0). Dates, firsts and records were checked in a second work: Store norske leksikon (https://snl.no/Massachusetts and its articles on Bunker Hill, Paul Revere, Elias Howe, basketball, volleyball and Phillis Wheatley), the National Park Service page on Boston Light, the City of Boston page on Boston Common, the MBTA history page and NASA's page on Robert Goddard. Where no second work gave a date or a record, the clue leaves it out. Unofficial and not affiliated with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; an educational puzzle, so check an official source before you rely on a fact. Licence: own work

How it works

This Massachusetts word search opens with Boston, Pilgrims, Minutemen, Lighthouse, Cranberry, Berkshires and six more favorites. Nine lists go further: cities, Cape Cod and the coast, rivers and hills, state symbols, history, firsts and inventions, writers, food, and wildlife.

Read the full guide

Invented in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Firsts and Inventions has Basketball and Volleyball, both invented in the state, in Springfield and Holyoke, and both official state sports. Telephone, Sewing Machine, Rocket, Subway, Candlepin and Smiley follow, each clue naming its town: the first liquid-fueled rocket flew at Auburn in 1926.

A state muffin, a state cookie and a state dinosaur

Massachusetts State Symbols follows the General Laws, which name a state muffin (Corn Muffin), cookie (Chocolate Chip), dessert (Boston Cream Pie) and bean (Navy Bean), a state dinosaur (Podokesaurus) and an official groundhog, Ms. G. Chickadee, Mayflower, Cod, Ladybug and Right Whale are there too.

Easy Massachusetts has the 22 words of 3 to 5 letters: Cod, Bog, Lynn, Dory, Tern, Loon, Salem, Lenox, Moose, Robin and more.
For an authors unit, Massachusetts Writers and Reformers has Thoreau, Emerson, Alcott, Dickinson, Hawthorne and Melville, with Little Women and Moby-Dick.

Questions and answers

Is the Massachusetts word search printable with answers?

Yes. Print or save as PDF gives the puzzle with a Name and Date line, and the answer key follows on a page of its own. Press New puzzle first and each table gets a different 12 of the 28 favorites.

Are the Pilgrims and Plymouth in the puzzle?

Yes. Pilgrims, Plymouth and Mayflower are in the opening grid. Massachusetts History adds Wampanoag, Massasoit, Squanto, Compact and Thanksgiving, then the Revolution: Minutemen, Lantern, Old North Church, Bunker Hill and Boston Tea Party.

Does the Massachusetts word search have Cape Cod words?

Cape Cod, Islands and Coast has 37 words: Nantucket, Aquinnah, Woods Hole, Monomoy and Race Point for the map, then Schooner, Dory, Scrimshaw, Quahog, Kettle Pond and Nor'easter for life by the sea.

Is the state bird of Massachusetts in the word search?

Chickadee is in the opening grid; the black-capped chickadee is the state bird. Wild Turkey, the state game bird, is in Massachusetts State Symbols with Boston Terrier, Tabby Cat, Morgan Horse and Garter Snake.

All 253 words

Massachusetts Cities and Towns 42

Massachusetts Cities and Towns, continued

Cape Cod, Islands and Coast 37

Massachusetts Rivers, Hills and Ponds 24

Massachusetts State Symbols 32

Massachusetts History 35

Massachusetts Firsts and Inventions 11

Massachusetts Writers and Reformers 18

Massachusetts Food and Farms 19

Massachusetts Wildlife and Trees 35

How it works

Invented in Massachusetts

A state muffin, a state cookie and a state dinosaur

Questions and answers

More tools