Science is a complex process, and we must not teach our students overly simplified versions of "the" scientific method. We propose that students can uncover the complex realities of scientific thinking by exploring the similarities and differences between solving the familiar crossword puzzles and scientific "puzzles." Similarly to solving a crossword puzzle, solving puzzles in science is a complex and creative process in which hypotheses and theories evolve through the accumulation of many pieces of independent, yet interlocking, lines of evidence. We discuss the important lessons from Haack's crossword-puzzle analogy and how it applies to teaching science.