Solids, Liquids, and Gases Word Search
- Free
- No account
- Answer key
- Standard
- About 17 min
- 12 words
One printable file with the activity first and the answer key after it.
Download a free Grade 2 solids, liquids, and gases word search PDF with an answer key, definitions, and a simple states-of-matter activity.
For parents and caregivers
What your child will practice
- Classify familiar materials as solids, liquids, or gases using observable properties.
- Describe how heating or cooling can change the state of some kinds of matter.
How to use this puzzle at home
- Preview the word bank and name one safe household example of a solid, liquid, and gas.
- Complete the word search and use the answer key to check every science term.
- Sort six examples by state and describe whether each keeps its shape or takes the shape of a container.
What you need
- Printed worksheet or PDF viewer
- Pencil or highlighter
- Optional picture cards or safe matter samples
Word List
- MATTER
- SOLID
- LIQUID
- GAS
- SHAPE
- VOLUME
- FLOW
- PARTICLE
- MELT
- FREEZE
- EVAPORATE
- CONDENSE
Printable Puzzle
Open Puzzle PDFOpen Answer KeyDownload Worksheet + Answer Key
Vocabulary guide
Use these short definitions before or after the word search. Ask your child to explain a few in their own words.
- Matter
- Anything that has mass and takes up space.
- Solid
- Matter that keeps its own shape and has a definite volume.
- Liquid
- Matter that has a definite volume but takes the shape of its container.
- Gas
- Matter that spreads out to fill the available space in a container.
- Shape
- The outline or form of an object or sample of matter.
- Volume
- The amount of space occupied by an object or substance.
- Flow
- To move steadily from one place to another, as liquids and gases can do.
- Particle
- A very small piece used in models to explain how matter behaves.
- Melt
- To change from a solid into a liquid when energy is added.
- Freeze
- To change from a liquid into a solid when energy is removed.
- Evaporate
- To change from a liquid into a gas at the liquid's surface.
- Condense
- To change from a gas into a liquid as energy is removed.
Talk about the science
- Why does water take the shape of different containers?
- How is the air inside a balloon evidence that gases take up space?
- What energy change occurs when ice melts or liquid water freezes?
Quick check
Measurable exit ticket
Exit ticket: classify three new examples as solid, liquid, or gas and give one observable property for each. Add one arrow showing a state change caused by heating or cooling.
Try one more thing
Extension activity
Create a states-of-matter chart with three examples in each category. Draw one melting or freezing sequence, label the starting and ending states, and write whether energy was added or removed.
Teacher and tutor note
Classroom adaptation
After the puzzle, teams sort picture or word cards into solid, liquid, and gas categories. They choose one item from each group and justify the classification using shape, volume, and ability to flow.
Differentiation and accommodations
Extra support
Use three labeled category cards and let the learner place familiar examples before completing the puzzle.
More challenge
Ask the learner to model particle spacing in a solid, liquid, and gas and connect the model to each state's properties.
Access options
- Read definitions aloud and accept oral classifications.
- Provide high-contrast category cards and a larger printed grid.
- Use photographs instead of handling materials when sensory access or safety requires it.
Accessibility
The page provides every term, definition, and direction as selectable HTML and supports keyboard navigation and browser zoom. The visual PDF is not tagged for screen readers, so use the HTML definitions, verbal descriptions, or tactile examples as appropriate.
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