Math Drill Pages

2nd Grade Addition and Subtraction Word Problems

Eight one-step word problems for second graders with numbers up to 100. Addition and subtraction stories alternate, so students have to decide on the operation each time instead of repeating the last one. Many problems need regrouping.

Grade
Grade 2
Problems
8
Time
About 20 minutes
Standard
2.OA.A.1, 2.NBT.B.5
Download PDF (US Letter) Download PDF (A4)

Two pages: the worksheet, then the answer key. No sign-up needed.

Worksheet preview

Word problems Solve. Show your work.

  1. Maria has 49 stamps. Her brother has 20 more stamps than she does. How many stamps does her brother have?

    69

  2. A garden has 95 flowers. 41 of them are roses and the rest are tulips. How many tulips are there?

    54

  3. A farmer picks 46 tomatoes in the morning and 16 tomatoes in the afternoon. How many tomatoes does he pick?

    62

  4. The class wants to collect 83 cans for the food drive. It has 19 cans so far. How many more cans does it need?

    64

  5. Some children were in the gym. 28 children left for lunch. 67 children are still in the gym. How many children were in the gym at first?

    95

  6. A store has 57 bottles of water. It sells 22 bottles. How many bottles are left?

    35

  7. There are 39 people on a train. At the next stop, 22 more people get on. How many people are on the train now?

    61

  8. A book has 93 pages. Ivy has read 26 pages. How many pages does she have left to read?

    67

Tips for teachers and parents

  • Ask your student to underline the question in each story before solving. The question decides the operation.
  • Have them write a number sentence for every problem, then solve it with the column method or a number line.
  • Estimate first: round each number to the nearest ten. If 38 + 47 is about 40 + 50 = 90, an answer of 75 needs another look.
  • Problems that say "some flew away" or "some left" hide the unknown in the middle of the story. Drawing a simple bar model helps.

Common mistakes

  • Choosing the operation from a single word. "More" appears in both addition stories and "how many more" comparisons, which are subtraction.
  • Forgetting to regroup when the ones add to 10 or more. Ask students to check the ones column first.

What to practice next

Students who solve these confidently are ready for two-step word problems.

Frequently asked questions

Are these one-step or two-step word problems?

All 8 are one-step problems. The two-step problems are on a separate sheet.

What numbers do the problems use?

Numbers up to 100. Sums are 100 or less and every answer is a whole number of at least 5.

Is there an answer key?

Yes, page 2 has the answers to all 8 problems.