Math Drill Pages

Multi Step Word Problems for 4th Grade

Eight multi-step word problems for fourth graders. In every story, students first multiply or divide, then add or subtract to finish. All answers are whole numbers, so students can focus on planning the steps.

Grade
Grade 4
Problems
8
Time
About 25 minutes
Standard
4.OA.A.3
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 more than one step. Show your work.

  1. Ms. Park buys 7 packs of stickers with 13 stickers in each pack. She gives away 25 stickers. How many stickers does she have left?

    66

  2. Leo shares 135 cookies equally among 9 plates. Then he eats 8 cookies from one plate. How many cookies are left on that plate?

    7

  3. A library gets 8 boxes of new books with 17 books in each box. It puts 105 of the books on display. How many books are not on display?

    31

  4. 66 pencils are shared equally by 6 students. Each student then loses 4 pencils. How many pencils does each student have now?

    7

  5. A theater has 9 rows of 18 seats on the main floor and 23 seats in the balcony. How many seats are there in all?

    185

  6. A farmer has 9 rows of corn with 12 plants in each row. A storm damages 24 plants. How many plants are not damaged?

    84

  7. Jen saves 7 dollars each week for 7 weeks. Her grandma gives her 14 dollars. How many dollars does Jen have now?

    63

  8. 65 students are split equally into 5 teams. Then 11 more students join one of the teams. How many students are on that team now?

    24

Tips for teachers and parents

  • Ask your student to underline the question, then find what must be worked out first. Writing "Step 1" and "Step 2" in the margin keeps the work organized.
  • Have students write one equation with a letter for the unknown, such as 7 × 21 − 73 = n. This is exactly what the grade 4 standard asks for.
  • Estimate before solving. If the answer is far from the estimate, one of the steps used the wrong operation.
  • In sharing stories, the answer is about one group (one plate, one team), not the whole amount. Ask students to check which group the question is about.

Common mistakes

  • Doing only the first step and writing that number as the answer.
  • Adding the extra amount to the whole total in a sharing story, when it belongs to just one group.

What to practice next

For more practice with the first step, use the 4th grade multiplication word problems or the 3rd grade division word problems.

Frequently asked questions

What makes these multi-step word problems?

Each story needs two operations: multiplication or division first, then addition or subtraction.

Do any problems have remainders?

No. Every division in these stories comes out even, so the answer is always a whole number.

Is there an answer key?

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