2nd grade length word problems worksheets

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Length word problems worksheets for 2nd grade tell four short stories about ribbons and cords measured in centimeters: a 5 cm ribbon gets 2 cm added, a 55 cm cord loses a 5 cm piece. Your child adds or subtracts and writes the answer with its unit. Some stories give both lengths and ask how much changed. An easier version is offered too.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 2.MD.B.5.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of problems you'll get

Complete each problem. Write the answer with its unit when needed.

  1. A ribbon is 5 cm long. Another 2 cm is added. How long is it now?

    Answer: 7 cm

  2. A ribbon grows from 14 cm to 24 cm. How much was added?

    Answer: 10 cm

  3. A cord is 55 cm long. A piece 5 cm long is removed. How much remains?

    Answer: 50 cm

Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.

What's on each sheet

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key after the problems.

This sheet is one of the versions on the 2nd grade measuring length page, with its own difficulty choices and its own answer key.

How to teach this

Read the story and have your child point to the two lengths and say what happened to the ribbon: it grew, or a piece came off. That sentence picks the operation. The trap is the middle kind of story, where the ribbon grows from 14 cm to 24 cm and the question is how much was added. Kids add the two numbers because the word grows sounds like adding. Ask, what did it start at, what did it end at, and how far apart are those? The rule box says keep track of the units and what the question asks, so treat the unit as part of the answer: 7 cm, not 7. A real tape measure helps here. Cut a piece of string to 14 cm, hold a 10 cm piece next to it, and see 24. The four problems fit one sitting.

Watch for: Kids drop the unit and write 7 instead of 7 cm. The sheet asks for the answer with its unit, and saying it out loud with the unit is the fastest habit to build. Kids add whenever a story says grows or longer, so a ribbon that went from 14 cm to 24 cm gets 38. The question is how much changed, and the gap between the two lengths is a subtraction.

Common questions about 2nd grade length word problems

How is this different from the measuring sheet on the parent page?
No ruler here. The lengths are given in the story, and your child adds or subtracts them, then writes the answer with its unit. That is 2.MD.B.5: using addition and subtraction within 100 to solve problems about lengths given in the same unit.
What kinds of stories are on the sheet?
Three shapes: a length gets longer, a length gets shorter, or a length changes from one number to another and the question is by how much. Ribbons and cords in centimeters carry the stories, with numbers like 5 cm, 24 cm, and 55 cm.
Is there an easier version?
Yes. The sheet offers an easier print alongside the default. Four stories per page either way, with work space under each and an answer key included. If the default print is producing wrong signs rather than wrong sums, start with the easier one and come back.

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Aligned to Common Core 2.MD.B.5. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.

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