Summer Crossword Puzzle Free Printable

A summer criss-cross crossword of short words is drawn below: Print it with its answer key, or tap New puzzle.

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Summer Crossword

Read each clue and write the answer in the squares that start at its number, one letter in each square.

This grid is wider than a phone screen, so it scrolls sideways. It prints whole.

Tap a square, and its clue shows here.

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Down

Word bank

  • Cone
  • Crab
  • Creek
  • Heat
  • Mango
  • Peach
  • Pine
  • Scoop

Type in a square and the next one takes over. Tap the same square again, or press Space, to switch between Across and Down. Arrow keys move around the grid, Enter goes to the next clue, and a clue takes you to its squares.

Print gives 2 pages on Letter or A4: the puzzle with its clues, then the answer key. The squares print 10 mm wide. For a PDF, choose Save as PDF in the print window.

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Answer key: Summer Crossword

1PEA2CHO3C4SNR5CREEK6MANGOBO7H8PINEAT

Across 1 PEACH · 5 CREEK · 6 MANGO · 8 PINE

Down 2 CONE · 3 CRAB · 4 SCOOP · 7 HEAT

Next step Find summer words in a word searchUnscramble summer words

All 152 clues

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The Beach 29

  • Boardwalk Planked promenade where beachgoers stroll past arcades
  • Buoy Floating marker anchored in the water
  • Clam Animal with two hinged halves that burrows into wet sand
  • Coral Hard, branching sea growth built by tiny animals, and a pinkish color
  • Crab Sideways walker with two claws
  • Driftwood Smooth, bleached branch that the sea has washed up
  • Dune Sandy hill that the wind keeps reshaping
  • Gull Gray and white seabird that snatches french fries
  • Jellyfish Wobbly, see-through drifter that can sting a swimmer
  • Lifeguard Strong swimmer in a tall chair who watches for trouble
  • Lighthouse Its turning lamp guides sailors along a rocky coast
  • Pail Round beach toy with a handle, packed full and tipped over to mold a tower
  • Pebble Rock small enough to skip across a pond
  • Pier Deck on tall posts where people fish above the water
  • Raft Flat floating platform, or a blow-up boat
  • Reef Underwater ridge where many colorful fish live
  • Sandbar Shallow, sandy hump where a boat can get stuck
  • Sandcastle Building shaped from wet sand, often with towers and a moat
  • Seaweed Slippery green or brown algae that washes up on the sand
  • Shell Hard home that a sea snail leaves behind on the sand
  • Shore Edge of the land, where swimmers walk into the water
  • Splash What a belly flop makes
  • Starfish Rock pool creature whose shape gives it the first half of its name
  • Surf To ride breaking water while standing on a long board
  • Swimsuit Outfit made for getting wet
  • Tide The sea's slow creep up the beach and back again
  • Towel Cloth you dry off with after a swim
  • Wade To walk through water that is only knee deep
  • Wave Wall of water that rolls in and breaks

Camping 29

  • Backpack Hiker's load, strapped on before a climb
  • Binoculars Two tubes with lenses for seeing far-off animals up close
  • Cabin Cozy log house at a lake or in the mountains
  • Campfire Crackling blaze that everyone sits around after dark
  • Campsite Place in a park set aside for an overnight stay
  • Canteen Small metal bottle that a hiker drinks from
  • Compass Pocket tool marked N, E, S and W
  • Cooler Ice-filled box with a lid, packed for a picnic
  • Cot Folding bed with a canvas top
  • Creek Shallow, narrow brook you can hop across
  • Ember Orange coal still glowing in the ashes
  • Firefly Beetle that blinks with its own light on warm nights
  • Firewood Chopped fuel piled beside the pit
  • Hammock Hanging bed tied between two trees
  • Kindling Dry twigs that get a fire started
  • Knot Bowline or square, for example
  • Lantern Portable light that hangs from a hook at camp
  • Marshmallow Squishy white cube that swells and browns over the coals
  • Mosquito Whining pest that makes hikers slap their arms
  • Moth Night flier drawn to a porch light
  • Paddle What a canoeist dips on one side, then the other
  • Pine Evergreen tree with long needles and sticky sap
  • Raccoon Masked animal with a ringed tail that raids trash cans
  • Ranger Uniformed guardian of a national park
  • S'more Gooey treat of graham crackers and melted chocolate
  • Stake Peg hammered into the ground to hold a rope tight
  • Tarp Waterproof sheet that keeps rain off the gear
  • Tent Zip-up shelter you sleep in at a campground
  • Trail Footpath that hikers follow

Summer Weather 31

  • Balmy Mild and pleasant, as a tropical evening is
  • Cloudless Without a single puff of white overhead
  • Dawn Daybreak, when roosters crow
  • Drought Months without rain, when lawns turn brown and ponds dry up
  • Dusk Twilight, when porch lamps click on
  • Evaporate What a wet footprint on hot pavement does in minutes
  • Fan Electric breeze maker on a ceiling or a desk
  • Glare Harsh, bright light bouncing off water or a windshield
  • Haze Thin, dusty blur in the air on a hot day
  • Heat What rises off a sidewalk on an afternoon in the sun
  • Heatwave Several days in a row of very high temperatures
  • Humid Full of moisture, as the air in a rainforest is
  • Hurricane Tropical storm with a calm eye at its center
  • Mirage Trick of light that looks like water on a hot road
  • Muggy Warm and damp at once, like the air before a storm
  • Parasol Light umbrella carried against the sun
  • Scorcher Slang for a blazing hot day
  • Shade Relief from the sun under a big umbrella or a leafy branch
  • Sizzle Hissing sound of food on a very hot pan
  • Solstice North of the equator, the day in late June with the longest stretch of sun
  • Sprinkler Spinning yard sprayer that makes a cool arc on a hot day
  • Sunbeam Bright stripe across the floor on a clear morning
  • Sunburn Sore pink shoulders after a long beach day
  • Sundial Garden timepiece read by where its shadow points
  • Sunglasses Tinted eyewear for the beach
  • Sunrise Morning show of color low in the eastern sky
  • Sunset Evening show of color low in the western sky
  • Sweat Salty drops on your forehead after a run
  • Swelter To feel far too hot
  • Thermometer It shows how many degrees it is outside
  • Visor Brim on a band that keeps light out of your eyes

Summer Food 31

  • Apricot Little golden stone fruit, often sold dried and leathery
  • Blueberry Tiny fruit that stains your tongue the color in its name
  • Bun Bread that hugs a hamburger patty, top and bottom
  • Cantaloupe Tan, netted fruit with sweet orange flesh inside
  • Charcoal Briquettes for the barbecue
  • Coconut Big, hard, hairy fruit of a palm tree, with white flesh inside
  • Coleslaw Creamy cabbage side dish at a cookout
  • Cone Edible holder you can bite when the ice cream is gone
  • Cucumber Cool, crunchy salad slice with a dark green peel
  • Kebab Dinner threaded on a rod and cooked over coals
  • Lime Green cousin of the lemon
  • Mango Tropical fruit, golden inside, with a broad pit that is hard to cut around
  • Melon Honeydew, for one
  • Mint Cool-tasting green leaf used in gum and iced tea
  • Mustard Tangy yellow squirt on a pretzel or a frank
  • Nectarine Juicy fruit with a pit and shiny, fuzz-free skin
  • Peach Fuzzy fruit in the nickname of the state of Georgia
  • Pickle Dill spear or bread-and-butter chip from a jar
  • Pineapple Fruit with a crown of leaves, served in rings
  • Plum Smooth, purple-skinned fruit that becomes a prune when dried
  • Raspberry Red, bumpy fruit that slips off its core like a little cap
  • Relish Chopped pickled vegetables spooned on as a topping
  • Scoop Single, double or triple, at the ice cream counter
  • Skewer Thin metal or wooden rod pushed through food for grilling
  • Smoothie Blender drink of berries, banana and yogurt
  • Sorbet Icy, dairy-free dessert churned from fruit puree
  • Sprinkles Rainbow-colored topping, also called jimmies
  • Straw Bendy tube that stands in a milkshake
  • Sundae Ice cream in a dish with syrup, whipped cream and a cherry on top
  • Tomato Red, juicy fruit that most cooks treat as a vegetable
  • Zucchini Dark green squash picked young and grated into bread

Summer Travel 32

  • Airport Place with runways and gates
  • Aquarium Place to watch sharks and rays through thick glass
  • Atlas Book of charts showing every country
  • Camera Picture taker with a lens and a flash
  • Camper Home on wheels for a road trip
  • Canyon Rocky gorge with towering walls, like the Grand one in Arizona
  • Carousel Ride with painted horses that goes round to music
  • Cruise Ocean voyage on a floating hotel with many decks
  • Depart To pull away from the gate or the platform
  • Detour Orange road sign that sends drivers another way round
  • Ferry Car-carrying boat that shuttles back and forth
  • Geyser Old Faithful, for one
  • Highway Road with exits, on-ramps and a high speed limit
  • Island Maui or Oahu, for example
  • Itinerary Day-by-day schedule a traveler follows
  • Journey Trek, voyage or expedition
  • Landmark Famous place or thing that is easy to spot
  • Lodge Large, rustic inn near a park or ski hill
  • Luggage Everything you check at the airline counter
  • Map Folded paper guide to roads and towns, with a key and a scale
  • Motel Roadside inn where the room doors open onto the parking lot
  • Museum Building where art, fossils or old objects are on display
  • Passport Small booklet you show to enter another country
  • Postcard "Wish you were here" mail
  • Resort Place to stay with pools, meals and things to do all in one spot
  • Souvenir Keepsake from a gift shop
  • Suitcase Rolling bag you pack the night before a flight
  • Ticket Paper or screen pass that lets you board or get in
  • Tollbooth Stop on a road where drivers pay to keep going
  • Tourist Visitor who travels to see the sights
  • Trunk Space at the back of a car for bags
  • Vacation Week or two away from home and routine

How this list was compiled: Clues written for this site for elementary classes, in five themes: the beach, camping, summer weather, summer food and travel. Every answer is an entry in Wiktionary (en.wiktionary.org), and each nature or science fact in a clue was checked against English Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0) in October 2026. The solstice clue is written for the northern half of the world. No clue was copied from a published puzzle. Licence: own work

How it works

This summer crossword puzzle is a free printable vocabulary crossword in five themes: the beach, camping, weather, food and travel. It opens on short words such as Crab, Tent and Dusk, with a word bank under the clues.

Read the full guide

An easy beach crossword puzzle, then four more themes

Short Summer Words keeps every answer to 5 letters or fewer: Shell, Wave, Pail, Raft. The Beach adds Lifeguard, Driftwood and Lighthouse. Camping has Hammock, Kindling and S'more. Summer Weather has Muggy, Solstice and Mirage. Summer Food has Sundae, Kebab and Cantaloupe. Summer Travel has Passport, Detour and Geyser.

Print it or solve it here

On paper, the key comes out as the final sheet. On a phone or laptop, tap any square, then type.

  • New puzzle draws another grid from the same set, so neighbors can get different puzzles.
  • For a harder sheet, untick Word bank under the clues in More options.

Questions and answers

Is there an easy summer crossword puzzle for younger kids?

Yes. Short Summer Words, the opening set, keeps every answer to 5 letters or fewer and prints a word bank under the clues. Take clues away with their crosses until 6 are left for a smaller grid.

Can I save the printable summer crossword puzzle as a PDF?

Yes. Press Print, then choose Save as PDF in the print window. The file holds the puzzle, its clues and the answer key on the last page.

What grades is this summer crossword for?

Short Summer Words suits about grades 1 to 3. The five themed sets suit grades 3 to 6, with longer answers such as Thermometer and Itinerary. These bands are our judgment, not a published standard.

Does the summer crossword puzzle come with answers?

Yes. The key is the last sheet of every print, and Show all clues and answers, under the puzzle, lists every clue with its answer.

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