Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
In the following pages you will find a number of fun puzzles from wordsearchs to crosswords and a
‘true or false’ quiz. Feel free to print and use any combination of these puzzles to suit your needs.
The answers will be found at the end of all the puzzles.
Crossword
Solve the clues in the puzzle and fill the answers
in to the appropriate numbered boxes.
Wordsearch
Look for the listed words in the grid. Words can
be found running forwards or backwards,
horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 1 – Filling in the blanks (answers at end of worksheets)
Use the words in the box to fill in the blanks. (answers at the end of worksheets)
rapids
riverbanks
mouth
source
channel
flood
lake
ocean
flows
low
transportation
riverbed
dry up
water
tributaries
waterfalls
A river is a body of water that _______________ from high ground to _______________ ground.
The beginning of a river is called the _______________. As a river flows down, other smaller rivers
called _______________ join it and it becomes bigger.
The river flows in its __________________. The bottom of the river is called the
________________. The sides of the river are called the ________________. Usually, the river
stays in its channel but sometimes, after heavy rains, the river overflows its banks and there is a
________________. At other times, during the summer or during a drought, some rivers
___________________ completely and people can walk on the riverbed.
The river usually flows down to a _________________ or an _______________. The place where
the river meets the larger body of water is the end of the river and is called the
_________________.
Sometimes rivers flow very fast over rocks. These areas, which are called _____________, are
dangerous for boats. And sometimes, rivers flow over cliffs forming beautiful
__________________.
Rivers are very important for civilization. They provide ______________ for drinking and irrigation.
As well, they were important routes for _________________ by boats in the past.
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 2 – Water Crossword (answers at the end of the worksheets)
Across
Down
1. A place where a river goes over a cliff.
2. The largest river in the world.
4. Some river do this after heavy rains.
3. A river is a body of water that ___________.
7. Fast flowing water that goes over rocks.
5. Some rivers do this during a drought.
9. The end of a river; the place where it flows into a
lake or ocean.
6. The bottom of a river.
10. A flowing body of water.
7. The side of a river.
8. The start of a river.
12. Something that crosses a river.
11. The longest river in the world.
13. The place where a river flows.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 3 – Rivers Crossword (answers at the end of worksheets)
1
2
3
4
5
7
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
15
14
16
17
18
19
Across
Down
3. A manmade construction that is used to block a
river.
1. Some river do this after heavy rains.
4. The start of a river.
8. The kind of lake formed when a river meanders.
5. The process of wearing away the riverbed or
riverbanks by the river.
9. A river is a body of water that ___________.
6. The longest river in the world.
12. The place where a river flows.
13. A flowing body of water.
7. The end of a river; the place where it flows
into a lake or ocean.
15. The side of a river.
10. A place where a river goes over a cliff.
17. Some rivers do this during a drought.
11. Go back and forth.
18. Something that crosses a river.
14. An area at the river's mouth where
saltwater from the ocean and freshwater from
the river meet.
19. Dirt rocks or sand that is carried by a river.
2. The largest river in the world.
16. Fast flowing water that goes over rocks.
17. A triangular shaped island at the mouth of
a river that is formed from river sediments.
18. The bottom of a river.
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 4 – Watercycle Crossword (answers at the end of worksheets)
Across
Down
1. Water going back to the sky (11)
6. Wet and falls from the sky (4)
8. Water that doesn’t soak into the
ground becomes this (3,3)
9. A lake or reservoir would be an example of
this (7)
12. Technical word for “soaking in” (12)
13. The level water naturally sinks to (5,5)
2. Word that could describe any form of
water falling from the sky (13)
3. Water vapour joins together to form droplets
(12)
4. Plants “sweating” (13)
5. Water dribbling down through the rock (11)
7. Moisture below the surface (6,5)
10. Large expanse of water covers much of the
planet (3)
11. Small ice crystals falling from the sky (4)
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 5 – River/Water related quiz
Answer the following questions with either True or False (answers at the end of worksheets)
1. The River Nile is the longest river in the world?
2. Rivers normally contains saltwater?
3. Small rivers usually have different names such as, creek, brook, stream?
4. The word “Upstream” means the direction where the water is flowing to? (From)
5. The second longest river is located in South America?
6. Water covers half (1/2) of the earth’s surface?
7. Most of the world’s big cities are located near the banks of rivers?
8. The River Ravensbourne is 5 miles long?
9. The amount of water on earth has remain the same for 2 billion years?
10. The Mouth of a river is where a river starts?
11. A Tributary means when little streams & rivers joins a big river?
12. Headwater is the place where a river ends?
13. Estuary is the place where freshwater meets & mix with saltwater?
14. The Ravensbourne river flows through 3 London boroughs?
15. The Ravensbourne river starts from Lewisham?
16. The River Ravensbourne is a tributary of River Thames?
17. A confluence is the meeting point of two of more bodies of water meets?
18. Water can be found in 3 different states/forms ?
19. The Ravensbourne river joins the River Thames at Catford?
20. Valleys are created by water?
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 6 – River wordsearch
Find the water WORDS below in the grid ABOVE:
Amazon
Bed
Channel
Dry up
Erosion
Estuary
Mouth
Nile
Oxbow lake
Riverbank
Sediment
Source
Dam
Flood
Rapids
Stream
Delta
Meader
River
Waterfall
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 7 – River wordsearch
Find the water WORDS below in the grid ABOVE:
River
Dry up
Amazon
Flow
Mouth
Source
Flood
Bridge
Nile
Sediment
Confluence
Deposition
Rapids
Stream
Channel
Tributary
Riverbank
Waterfall
Bed
Transportation
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 8 – Water wordsearch
Find the bodies of water below in the grid ABOVE:
Bay
Cove
Creek
Lagoon
Lake
Marsh
Pond
Pool
Puddle
Straight
Stream
Swamp
Geyser
Oasis
River
Tide pool
Inlet
Ocean
Sea
Waterfall
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 9 – Word descriptions
There are bodies of water all over our planet. Describe the different bodies of water using the
words small, large, fresh, salt, deep, shallow, protected, still, and flowing. Try to use at least two
adjectives per description.
(Note: ‘fresh’ and ‘salt’ can be combined with ‘water’ as freshwater, saltwater).
A sea
A lake
A river
A pond
A stream
An ocean
A puddle
A bay
A creek
A cove
An inlet
A lagoon
An oasis
A tide pool
Is a large body of salt water
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 10 – An introduction to rivers – Questionnaire (answers at the end of the worksheets)
Using your General Knowledge, answer the following associated river questions.
1. What is a River?
2. List 3 Rivers you know around the world:
1.)
2.)
3.)
2.)
3.)
3. List 3 uses of Rivers:
1.)
4. Why are rivers important?
5. What is a River Source
6. What is a Mouth of a river?
7. Does a river look the same in the Beginning and the End?
8. What is a Tributary?
9. What is a Meander? (draw a picture of a meander)
10. What is the longest river in Africa?
11. What is the longest river in South America?
12. Which continent has no rivers?
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 11 – Water Cycle – Questionnaire (answers at the end of the worksheets)
1. The water cycle is the Earth's way of;
Getting rid of water
Recycling water
Using up all of our water
Cleaning our water
2. There are ____ stages in the water cycle.
2
3
4
5
3. The water cycle begins with ________.
Condensation
Evaporation
Precipitation
Trick question-the water cycle has no beginning or end
4. When the Sun heats up the puddle of water in your backyard and turns it into water vapour, this
process is known as ________.
Condensation
Evaporation
Precipitation
Collection
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
5. When you look outside & it’s raining, the water falling down is in what stage of the water cycle?
Evaporation
Collection
Condensation
Precipitation
6. In what stage of the water cycle would you see clouds forming?
Collection
Condensation
Precipitation
Evaporation
7. In the collection stage of the water cycle, water finds itself back in oceans, streams, and rivers
by way of ________.
The suction force that comes from large bodies of water
Gravity and the fact that things tend to flow downhill
Animals that carry the water back
People
8. As time goes by, water goes through the water cycle again and again, the amount of water on
Earth _______.
Increases
Decreases
Stays the same
Goes up and down
9. The water that was around when dinosaurs roamed the Earth:
Is gone, and has been for a long time
Is about halfway gone
Is the same water we use today
Would be really dirty if it were still around
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
10. Once water makes it all the way through the water cycle, the water ________.
Starts the cycle over again
Has beaten that cycle and moves on to a more advanced cycle
Is done with its journey
Can take a break for awhile
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
ANSWERS
Puzzle 1 – Filling in the blanks (answers)
Use the words in the box to fill in the blanks. (answers at the end of worksheets)
rapids
riverbanks
mouth
source
channel
flood
lake
ocean
flows
low
transportation
riverbed
dry up
water
tributaries
waterfalls
A river is a body of water that FLOWS from high ground to LOW ground. The beginning of a river is
called the SOURCE. As a river flows down, other smaller rivers called TRIBUTARIES join it and it
becomes bigger.
The river flows in its CHANNEL. The bottom of the river is called the RIVERBED. The sides of the
river are called the RIVERBANKS. Usually, the river stays in its channel but sometimes, after heavy
rains, the river overflows its banks and there is a FLOOD. At other times, during the summer or
during a drought, some rivers DRY UP completely and people can walk on the riverbed.
The river usually flows down to a LAKE or an OCEAN. The place where the river meets the larger
body of water is the end of the river and is called the MOUTH.
Sometimes rivers flow very fast over rocks. These areas, which are called RAPIDS, are dangerous
for boats. And sometimes, rivers flow over cliffs forming beautiful WATERFALLS.
Rivers are very important for civilization. They provide WATER for drinking and irrigation. As well,
they were important routes for TRANSPORTATION by boats in the past.
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 2 – Water Crossword (answers)
Across
Down
1. A place where a river goes over a cliff. Waterfall
2. The largest river in the world. Amazon
4. Some river do this after heavy rains. Flood
3. A river is a body of water that Flows.
7. Fast flowing water that goes over rocks. Rapids
5. Some rivers do this during a drought. Dryup
9. The end of a river; the place where it flows into a
lake or ocean. Mouth
6. The bottom of a river. Bed
10. A flowing body of water.
12. Something that crosses a river. Bridge
13. The place where a river flows. Channel
7. The side of a river. River bank
8. The start of a river. Source
11. The longest river in the world. Nile
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 3 – Rivers Crossword (answers)
Across
Down
3. A manmade construction that is used to block a
river. Dam
1. Some river do this after heavy rains. Flood
4. The start of a river. Source
8. The kind of lake formed when a river meanders.
5. The process of wearing away the riverbed or
riverbanks by the river.
Oxbow lake
6. The longest river in the world. Nile
9. A river is a body of water that Flows.
7. The end of a river; the place where it flows
into a lake or ocean. Mouth
12. The place where a river flows. Channel
13. A flowing body of water. River
15. The side of a river. River bank
17. Some rivers do this during a drought. Dry up
18. Something that crosses a river. Bridge
19. Dirt rocks or sand that is carried by a river.
Sediment
2. The largest river in the world. Amazon
10. A place where a river goes over a cliff.
Waterfall
11. Go back and forth. Meander
14. An area at the river's mouth where
saltwater from the ocean and freshwater from
the river meet. Estuary
16. Fast flowing water that goes over rocks.
Rapids
17. A triangular shaped island at the mouth of
a river that is formed from river sediments.
Delta
18. The bottom of a river. Bed
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 4 – Watercycle Crossword (answers)
Across
Down
1. Water going back to the sky (11) Evaporation
6. Wet and falls from the sky (4) Rain
8. Water that doesn’t soak into the
ground becomes this (3,3) Runoff
9. A lake or reservoir would be an example of
this (7) Storage
12. Technical word for “soaking in” (12)
Infiltration
13. The level water naturally sinks to (5,5)
Water table
2. Word that could describe any form of
water falling from the sky (13) Precipitation
3. Water vapour joins together to form droplets
(12) Condensation
4. Plants “sweating” (13) Transpiration
5. Water dribbling down through the rock (11)
Percolation
7. Moisture below the surface (6,5) Ground
water
10. Large expanse of water covers much of the
planet (3) Sea
11. Small ice crystals falling from the sky (4)
Snow
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 5 – River/Water related quiz (answers)
1. The River Nile is the longest river in the world? True
2. Rivers normally contains saltwater? False (freshwater)
3. Small rivers usually have different names such as, creek, brook, stream? True
4. The word “Upstream” means the direction where the water is flowing to? False (From)
5. The second longest river is located in South America? True (Amazon river)
6. Water covers half (1/2) of the earth’s surface? False (3/4)
7. Most of the world’s big cities are located near the banks of rivers? True
8. The River Ravensbourne is 5 miles long? False (11 miles)
9. The amount of water on earth has remain the same for 2 billion years? True
10. The Mouth of a river is where a river starts? False (ends)
11. A Tributary means when little streams & rivers joins a big river? True
12. Headwater is the place where a river ends? False (starts)
13. Estuary is the place where freshwater meets & mix with saltwater? True
14. The Ravensbourne river flows through 3 London boroughs? True (Bromley, Lewisham &
Greenwich)
15. The Ravensbourne river starts from Lewisham? False (Bromley – Caesars well/ Keston)
16. The River Ravensbourne is a tributary of River Thames? True
17. A confluence is the meeting point of two of more bodies of water meets? True
18. Water can be found in 3 different states/forms ? True (Gas – vapour / liquid – water / solid ice)
19. The Ravensbourne river joins the River Thames at Catford? False (Deptford Creek –
Greenwich)
20. Valleys are created by water? True
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 10 – An introduction to rivers – Questionnaire (answers)
Using your General Knowledge, answer the following associated river questions.
1. What is a River?
2. List 3 Rivers you know around the world: There are many to chose from!
1.) Thames
2.) Loire
3.) Danube
3. List 3 uses of Rivers: There are many to chose from!
1.) Fishing
2.) Canoeing
3.) Sailing
4. Why are rivers important?
5. What is a River Source Where a river starts
6. What is a Mouth of a river? The end of a river, where it flows in to a bigger body of water eg.
and ocean or lake
7. Does a river look the same in the Beginning and the End? No
8. What is a Tributary? a stream/river which feeding a larger stream/river
9. What is a Meander? (draw a picture of a meander)
A bend in the river.
As the river erodes, to the right side then the left side, it forms large bends, and then horseshoelike loops called meanders
10. What is the longest river in Africa? The Nile
11. What is the longest river in South America? The Amazon
12. Which continent has no rivers? Antarctica
Worksheet 12 - River and water puzzles
Puzzle 11 – Water Cycle – Questionnaire (answers)
1. Recycling water
2. 4
3. Trick question-the water cycle has no beginning or end
4. Evaporation
5. Precipitation
6. Condensation
7. Gravity and the fact that things tend to flow downhill
8. Stays the same
9. Is the same water we use today
10. Starts over again