Addition & subtraction word problems worksheets
Read the whole story before you pick a sign. Does it put amounts together, or take some away?
Four grades, each its own sheet. Print one here, or open a grade for examples and teaching notes.
Print by grade
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1st grade
These worksheets mix the two operations from the start, which is exactly what 1.OA.A.1 pictures: add to, take from, and put together stories with numbers within 20, plus a missing part now and then. Because either sign can be right, your child has to read the story instead of guessing from habit.
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2nd grade Core grade
Addition and subtraction word problems for grade 2 keep one step per story but stop announcing the operation. Amounts run two-digit and into three-digit numbers (2.OA.A.1, 2.NBT.B.7), so choosing the sign and regrouping cleanly both matter on the same page, often in the same problem.
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3rd grade
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.
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4th grade
Word problems for grade 4 move into the thousands (4.NBT.B.4). The stories still take one step. The work is keeping a long column addition or subtraction honest: lining up place value, carrying and borrowing through several columns, and judging whether the answer is even the right size.
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