Math Drill Pages

Two Step Word Problems for 2nd Grade

Eight two-step word problems for second graders. Every story has three numbers, and students must add or subtract twice to reach the answer. All numbers and answers stay within 100, matching the grade 2 standard for two-step problems.

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

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

Worksheet preview

Word problems Solve. Each problem has two steps. Show your work.

  1. There are 45 apples in a crate. 13 are sold in the morning and 14 are sold in the afternoon. How many apples are left?

    18

  2. A baker makes 21 cupcakes. She sells 7 of them. Then she makes 14 more. How many cupcakes does she have now?

    28

  3. Mr. Lee has 20 pencils. He gives 6 to one class and 4 to another class. How many pencils does he have left?

    10

  4. A class has 25 boys and 13 girls. 4 children are absent today. How many children are in class today?

    34

  5. Jada has 29 stickers. She buys 27 more. Then she gives 14 to her friend. How many stickers does she have now?

    42

  6. A farm has 24 cows, 22 pigs and 7 goats. How many animals does the farm have?

    53

  7. A bus has 35 people on it. At the first stop, 26 people get off and 25 people get on. How many people are on the bus now?

    34

  8. Tom reads 39 pages on Saturday and 25 pages on Sunday. His sister reads 14 pages in all. How many more pages does Tom read than his sister?

    50

Tips for teachers and parents

  • Ask your student to find the two things that happen in each story and number them 1 and 2.
  • Solve step 1 and write that answer in the margin before starting step 2. Most errors come from trying to do both steps at once.
  • Some problems have two subtractions in a row, such as giving pencils to two classes. Students can also add the two amounts taken away and subtract once.
  • When a story lists three amounts and asks "how many in all", the answer is simply all three added together.

Common mistakes

  • Stopping after the first step and writing that number as the answer. Ask students to reread the question after step 1.
  • Using all three numbers with the same operation. Have students say what happens to the total at each step: does it go up or down?

What to practice next

In grade 3, two-step problems also use multiplication and division. Practice the one-step 2nd grade word problems first if this sheet feels hard.

Frequently asked questions

What is a two-step word problem?

A story that needs two calculations to answer. For example, some students come into the gym and then some leave, so you add and then subtract.

Do all the problems use both addition and subtraction?

Most do. A few use two additions or two subtractions, so students still need to read each step carefully.

Is there an answer key?

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