Subtraction Word Problems Within 20

About this worksheet

A free printable subtraction word problems within 20 worksheet with an answer key. Read each story. What is taken away or compared? Subtract. First graders can do it on their own once they know the strategy at the top of the page. Underline the question and circle the numbers before solving.

On this sheet

Priya has 16 marbles and Liam has 6. How many more marbles does Priya have than Liam? A jar held 9 jelly beans. Theo ate 7 of them. How many jelly beans are in the jar now? A parking lot has 16 spaces. 6 cars are parked there. How many spaces are empty? Omar is 12 centimeters tall and Theo is 1 centimeters tall. How much taller is Omar? The class needs 10 cupcakes for a party. They have baked 5.

Tips for using it

• Check each answer by adding it back to the number taken away.
• Count back on your fingers or the number line for the hardest facts.
• Draw a quick picture of each story before writing the number sentence.
• Draw a quick picture or a bar model when the story has more than one step.

Printing tips

Download the PDF and print at 100% (or “fit to page” on A4). Page 1 is the worksheet and page 2 is the answer key with the answers in red; print just page 1 if you want to keep the answers for checking. The PNG shows page 1 only. Free for personal, family and classroom use.