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Subtraction word problems worksheets

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Ready to printSubtraction word problems
Subtraction word problems worksheet — Take away and compare, free printable with answer key

The answer key prints on a separate page.

What's on this sheet

Some problems are plain take-aways: a few berries fall out of a basket, and the child finds what is left. Others ask how many more are needed to reach a target, or how many more one character has than another. Those last two are the ones children reach for addition on by mistake, so the sheets mix them in deliberately — the point is to decide the operation, not to be told it.

Why this sheet works

Numbers stay small and every answer stays positive, so a child is never subtracting a bigger number from a smaller one or landing below zero. The result is always something they could act out with counters if they wanted to, which keeps subtraction concrete while the reading gets harder.

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