Multistep Worksheets | Free - CommonCoreSheets - Free Printable

Let's solve each of these word problems step by step and explain the reasoning behind each solution.

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1) Robin had 17 math problems for homework. If he finished 8 of them on the bus ride home, how many more did she have to do?

- Total problems: 17
- Finished: 8
- Remaining = 17 - 8 = 9

✔ Answer: 9

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2) Carol needs to buy 16 apples for apple bobbing. If each bag contains 4 apples, how many bags will she need?

- Total apples needed: 16
- Apples per bag: 4
- Number of bags = 16 ÷ 4 = 4

✔ Answer: 4

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3) Tom bought 4 boxes of candy. Later he bought 2 more boxes. How many boxes did he have total?

- First purchase: 4 boxes
- Second purchase: 2 boxes
- Total = 4 + 2 = 6

✔ Answer: 6

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4) For a potluck lunch Katie brought 6 bottles of soda. If everyone only drank 2 of the sodas, how many did she have to take back home?

- Brought: 6 bottles
- Drank: 2 bottles
- Leftover = 6 - 2 = 4

✔ Answer: 4

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5) Victor played 8 games of basketball with his friends. If Victor scored 2 points each game, how many points did he score total?

- Games: 8
- Points per game: 2
- Total points = 8 × 2 = 16

✔ Answer: 16

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6) While playing basketball Team A scored 35 points. If each person scored 7 points, how many people were playing?

- Total points: 35
- Points per person: 7
- Number of players = 35 ÷ 7 = 5

✔ Answer: 5

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7) A pet store had 4 cages of snakes with 9 snakes in each cage. How many snakes did the pet store have total?

- Cages: 4
- Snakes per cage: 9
- Total snakes = 4 × 9 = 36

✔ Answer: 36

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8) Ned bought 17 books at the book fair. If he gave 8 of them to his brother, how many books did he have left?

- Bought: 17
- Gave away: 8
- Left = 17 - 8 = 9

✔ Answer: 9

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9) Edward was drawing superheroes on a sheet of scrap paper. He drew 4 heroes on the front and 8 heroes on the back. How many heroes did he draw total?

- Front: 4
- Back: 8
- Total = 4 + 8 = 12

✔ Answer: 12

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10) The mailman delivered 11 pieces of mail to a house. If 8 of the pieces were junkmail, how many pieces were actually good?

- Total mail: 11
- Junkmail: 8
- Good mail = 11 - 8 = 3

✔ Answer: 3

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11) Oliver is helping to put away books. If he has 12 books to put away and each shelf can hold 2 books, how many shelves will he need?

- Books: 12
- Per shelf: 2
- Shelves needed = 12 ÷ 2 = 6

✔ Answer: 6

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12) Adam has to sell 18 chocolate bars to get a prize. If each box contains 3 chocolate bars, how many boxes does he need to sell?

- Total bars: 18
- Bars per box: 3
- Boxes needed = 18 ÷ 3 = 6

✔ Answer: 6

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13) Tiffany was placing her spare change into stacks. One stack had 4 coins and the other had 8. How many coins did she have total?

- Stack 1: 4 coins
- Stack 2: 8 coins
- Total = 4 + 8 = 12

✔ Answer: 12

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14) Paul was helping his mom wash clothes. They washed 3 short sleeve shirts and 4 long sleeve shirts. How many shirts did they wash total?

- Short sleeve: 3
- Long sleeve: 4
- Total = 3 + 4 = 7

✔ Answer: 7

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15) Isabel was helping her mom pick apples from the tree in their front yard. Together they picked 10 total. If 4 of the apples weren't ripe yet, how many good apples did they pick?

- Total picked: 10
- Not ripe: 4
- Good apples = 10 - 4 = 6

✔ Answer: 6

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✔ Final Answers:

1. 9
2. 4
3. 6
4. 4
5. 16
6. 5
7. 36
8. 9
9. 12
10. 3
11. 6
12. 6
13. 12
14. 7
15. 6

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These problems involve basic arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division — all appropriate for early elementary math practice (likely 2nd or 3rd grade). Each problem requires identifying the correct operation based on the context.

Let me know if you'd like this formatted as a printable answer key!