What does 3rd grade add to these problems?

Three-digit numbers, per 3.NBT.A.2, including subtraction across zeros. Stories also hide the missing part in different places, so careful reading matters as much as clean regrouping.

Does the answer key show the steps?

Every answer comes with its solution path, like 500 - 137 = 363, so you can tell a reading mistake from a borrowing mistake in seconds.

3rd grade addition & subtraction word problems

3rd grade addition & subtraction word problems worksheets

Third grade brings three-digit numbers on both sides of the sign (3.NBT.A.2): fundraiser totals and stadium seat counts. Story problems at this level often hide the part that is missing, so your child names the whole and the parts before computing, then regroups, sometimes across a zero.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 3.NBT.A.2.

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The kind of problems you'll get

Read each problem. Show your work and write the answer.

One museum sold 40 admission tickets, while another sold 10 more. How many tickets did the second museum sell?
Answer: 50
A food pantry had 558 cans and received 151 more. How many cans does it have now?
Answer: 709
A trail crew installed 116 signs along one route and 9 signs along another. How many signs did the crew install?
Answer: 125

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

Addition and subtraction word problems. Read each problem. Show your work and write the answer. 5 problems per page.

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

How to teach this

A quick bar sketch in the work space settles most sign confusion at this level: draw the whole, mark the known part, and the operation shows itself. Watch the across-zero subtractions closely, since 500 minus something is where borrowing breaks down. Round both numbers before solving and agree on the neighborhood the answer should land in.

Watch for: Kids hunt for a keyword instead of reading, so 'more' means add even when the story compares. Have your child retell the problem in their own words, then say the operation and why, before touching the numbers. In part unknown problems, kids add the whole and the part. If the jar holds 24 and 9 are red, the parts have to fit inside 24. Sketch a bar with the whole on top and the known part underneath. Subtracting across zeros falls apart, so 400 - 137 sprouts strange digits. Have them check with addition: the answer plus 137 has to rebuild 400.

Common questions about addition & subtraction word problems

What does 3rd grade add to these problems?: Three-digit numbers, per 3.NBT.A.2, including subtraction across zeros. Stories also hide the missing part in different places, so careful reading matters as much as clean regrouping.
Does the answer key show the steps?: Every answer comes with its solution path, like 500 - 137 = 363, so you can tell a reading mistake from a borrowing mistake in seconds.

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Aligned to Common Core 3.NBT.A.2. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 240, updated September 2026.

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