Grade 2 Word Problems Worksheets — Addition & Subtraction Within 100
By Grade 2 the stories get bigger — addition and subtraction within 100, including problems where the unknown sits in the middle of the story rather than at the end. Five sub-skills are offered at this grade and the page opens on Addition Stories, where the difficulty control steps from Join two amounts, to Carrying over ten, to The starting amount is missing. Subtraction Stories, Comparison Stories, Two-Step Stories and Money Stories are separate sheets with three levels of their own, and every story prints with working space and an Answer line so students show how they got there. The preview updates instantly as you adjust settings, and the shareable link brings back the identical sheet.
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Word Problems · Grade 2
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Grade 2 · 3 pages · A4More Grade 2 word problems skills
Each one generates a different kind of question, with its own three levels and answer key.
- Addition StoriesOne-step stories where two amounts are joined together.
- Subtraction StoriesOne-step stories where some of an amount is taken away.
- Comparison StoriesWho has more, and by how many.
- Two-Step StoriesMore than one thing happens before the question is asked.
- Money StoriesShopping totals, change from a note, and buying several of one thing.
What each level generates
Grade 2 addition stories — the exact skill behind each difficulty setting, straight from the generator.
- Level 1Join two amounts
- Level 2Carrying over ten
- Level 3The starting amount is missing
Grade levels follow the progression common to most English-language curricula — not one specific national curriculum. Every level shows exactly what it generates, so you can check the fit with your own program. See the full scope & sequence →
What Grade 2 covers in word problems
Most Grade 2 curricula expect one- and two-step addition and subtraction stories within 100, including trickier shapes like "Maya had some stickers, gave away 14, and has 23 left." The unknown moving around the story is the real Grade 2 challenge — the arithmetic itself is usually the easy part.
Start on Addition Stories and Subtraction Stories to settle the within-100 arithmetic inside a story — their third level, The starting amount is missing, is where the unknown moves — then reserve Two-Step Stories for students who solve single-step stories without prompting. A realistic benchmark: 8 problems solved independently with at most one error.
Building the habit of showing work
Insist that something appears in the working space before the Answer line is filled in — a number sentence, a bar sketch, even a labelled doodle. Grade 2 is where "I did it in my head" starts producing confident wrong answers, especially on comparison problems where children add when they should subtract.
Read-aloud still pays off at this age: have your student read the problem out loud and underline the question before starting. Press Shuffle for a fresh set of stories at the same settings tomorrow, so the routine repeats but the problems never do.
Frequently asked questions
▸What word problems should a Grade 2 student handle?
One- and two-step addition and subtraction stories with numbers up to 100, including comparison problems and stories where the unknown isn't the final result. Addition Stories, Subtraction Stories, Comparison Stories and Two-Step Stories between them match that expectation.
▸How do I know when to move on to Two-Step Stories?
When your child solves a full Addition Stories or Subtraction Stories sheet independently and can explain the operation they chose. Save Two-Step Stories for when Comparison Stories no longer cause add/subtract mix-ups.
▸Can I print the same worksheet for a re-test?
Yes. The web address stores your exact worksheet — bookmark or share the link and it reproduces the identical stories and answer key, which makes re-tests genuinely comparable.
▸Why does my child pick the wrong operation?
Usually from keyword-hunting — seeing "more" and adding automatically. Have them underline the question and say what is happening in the story before choosing an operation; that beats keyword rules.
▸What paper size do the sheets print on?
Choose A4 or US Letter in the controls. The preview and the downloaded PDF both reflow to exactly the paper you pick, so nothing gets clipped.