Subtraction Word Problems Within 20 Worksheets for 1st Grade

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Grade 1MathAddition & SubtractionCCSS 1.OA.A.1

Skill: Solving four kinds of subtraction story problems with numbers up to 20

Preview of the Subtraction Word Problems Within 20 printable worksheet
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Teaching tips and what to try next

Use this once first graders are comfortable with subtraction facts to 20 and can read short stories with a little help. The four story types are mixed, so ask your child to draw a quick sketch or use counters before choosing an operation; this matters most when the amount given away is the unknown. For fact fluency, pair it with Subtraction Within 20; for unknowns in equations, try Missing Numbers in Subtraction Within 20.

10 versions, each with its own answer key

Same skill and layout, a fresh set of problems in every version, so children can keep practicing without repeating a page. Problems are not repeated between versions unless a skill has only a small number of possible problems (for example, the addition facts within 10).

Download all 10 versions (one PDF)All 10 answer keys (PDF)

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About this worksheet

Word problems ask children to decide what is happening in a story before they do any math. In first grade, children meet several kinds of subtraction stories, and each kind sounds a little different. This first-grade worksheet gives eight story problems within 20, two of each of the four most common kinds.

In "take away" stories, someone gives some things away and children find how many are left. In "compare" stories, two children each have a group of things, and the question asks how many more one child has. In "part of a group" stories, some of the things are blue and the rest are green, and children find the green ones. The trickiest kind asks how many were given away when the start and the end are known. Every story starts with a number from 11 to 20, and the number taken away is 10 or less. Each line has space to write a number sentence and an answer with its label, such as "9 marbles."

How to use it: read each story out loud together and ask, "What do we know? What are we trying to find?" Acting the story out with small objects helps a lot, especially for the compare and "how many were given away" stories, which many children try to solve by adding. Encourage your child to check each answer by putting it back into the story.

The answer key shows each answer with its label. For easier stories, try our Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Within 10 worksheet. For fact practice, try our Subtraction Within 20 worksheet.