Grade 2 Word Problems | Free Worksheets | Printables - Free Printable

Sure! Let’s solve each word problem step by step and explain the reasoning clearly.

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Problem 1:
> The local farmer had 47 sheep. Last night, 20 ran away. 7 of them returned two days later. How many sheep did the farmer have now?

Step-by-step:

- Start with 47 sheep.
- 20 ran away → subtract 20:
47 – 20 = 27 sheep left.
- Then, 7 returned → add 7 back:
27 + 7 = 34 sheep.

✔ Answer: 34 sheep

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Problem 2:
> Amy had 87 toys. Her mum threw away 14 and then her dad threw away 13. How many toys did she have now?

Step-by-step:

- Start with 87 toys.
- Mum threw away 14 → subtract 14:
87 – 14 = 73 toys left.
- Dad threw away 13 → subtract 13:
73 – 13 = 60 toys left.

You could also do it in one step:
87 – 14 – 13 = 87 – 27 = 60

✔ Answer: 60 toys

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Problem 3:
> Sally had 46 pages of homework to complete. She did 17. How many pages did she have left?

Step-by-step:

- Total pages: 46
- Pages completed: 17
- Pages left = total – done
46 – 17 = 29 pages

✔ Answer: 29 pages

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Problem 4:
> Peter bought 62 apples. 16 were rotten and he dropped 11. How many good apples did he have left?

Important note: The question asks for “good apples left”. So we need to remove the rotten ones AND the dropped ones (since dropped ones are no longer with him, even if they’re not rotten).

Step-by-step:

- Start with 62 apples.
- 16 were rotten → these are not good → subtract 16:
62 – 16 = 46 good apples initially.
- He dropped 11 → whether they were good or rotten doesn’t matter — the problem implies he lost 11 apples total. Since the question is “how many good apples did he have left?”, we assume the 11 dropped were from the total, and since we want *good* apples left, we must subtract those 11 from the remaining good ones (unless told otherwise).

But wait — let’s think carefully.

The problem says:
> “16 were rotten and he dropped 11.”

It doesn’t say the 11 dropped were rotten or good. But since we’re asked for “good apples left”, we should assume that the 11 dropped apples are no longer in his possession — so we subtract them from the total, but only the good ones that remain after removing rotten.

Actually, a better way:

Total apples: 62
Rotten: 16 → so good apples = 62 – 16 = 46
He dropped 11 → these 11 are lost. We don’t know if they were good or rotten. But since the problem doesn’t specify, and we’re to find “good apples left”, the safest assumption is that the 11 dropped were from the total pool — meaning some may have been good.

However, in grade 2 math, problems like this usually mean you subtract both numbers from the total to find what remains — and since “good” is specified, we can interpret it as:

Good apples initially: 62 – 16 = 46
Then he lost 11 apples — assuming those 11 were part of the good ones (since rotten ones are already bad and maybe not counted in “left”), we subtract 11 from 46.

So:
46 – 11 = 35 good apples left

Alternatively, if we assume the 11 dropped could include rotten ones, we don’t have enough info — but since the problem is for Grade 2, it’s designed to be straightforward: subtract both losses from total, but only count good ones.

Actually, re-reading: “How many good apples did he have left?”

That means: start with 62, remove rotten (16), remove dropped (11) — but the dropped ones may include rotten or good. However, since the question is about “good apples left”, we can assume the 11 dropped are from the total, and we want to know how many good ones remain after losing 11 total apples.

To avoid overcomplicating: In most elementary worksheets, this is interpreted as:

Total apples: 62
Minus rotten: 16 → 46 good
Minus dropped: 11 → 46 – 11 = 35

Because the 11 dropped are presumably from the apples he had — and since he started with 62, and 16 were rotten, the 11 dropped are likely from the 46 good ones (or at least, we subtract them from the good count to find what’s left).

✔ Answer: 35 good apples

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Final Answers:

1. 34
2. 60
3. 29
4. 35

Let me know if you’d like to see visuals or diagrams for any of these!