Every sheet of addition word problems on this page is built the moment you open it, so the 20 problems below are not the same ones the last visitor printed, and the answer key is generated with them. Two of the problems on the sheet as it stands are “A box holds 29 coins. Another box holds 41. How many altogether?” and “A box holds 23 beads. Another box holds 44. How many altogether?” — answers 70 and 67 — and a new set is one click away.
‘New set of problems’ opens the generator in its own tab. There you can change the problem count and turn the answer key on or off. ‘Print or save as PDF’ opens the print dialog — choose Save as PDF in the printer list to keep the file. The sheet fits US Letter and A4, and the answer key prints on its own page.
These problems use totals under 160, so the reading, not the arithmetic, is the challenge.
A word problem tests two things at once: whether the child can choose the operation, and whether they can carry it out. On a problem like “A box holds 29 coins. Another box holds 41. How many altogether?”, the arithmetic behind 70 is usually the easy part.
Answers should carry their units. A number without a unit is not an answer to a word problem, however correct the arithmetic.
Because the names, objects and numbers regenerate, the child cannot recognise a problem type by its wording alone.
In US classrooms these addition word problems are commonly aligned with the problem-solving expectations for this grade, though the exact wording varies from state to state.
| # | Problem | Answer | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A box holds 29 coins. Another box holds 41. How many altogether? | 70 | Watch for: grabbing the numbers and guessing the operation |
| 2 | A box holds 23 beads. Another box holds 44. How many altogether? | 67 | Check: dropping the units |
| 3 | A box holds 56 buttons. Another box holds 72. How many altogether? | 128 | Look at: not checking whether the answer is sensible |
| 4 | A box holds 30 marbles. Another box holds 46. How many altogether? | 76 | Ask about: missing a step in a two-step problem |
| 5 | Jack read 72 pages on Monday and 24 pages on Tuesday. How many pages in total? | 96 | Watch for: being thrown by unfamiliar names or objects |
| 6 | Liam had 78 pencils and was given 71 more. How many pencils now? | 149 | Check: answering a different question |
Try “A box holds 56 buttons. Another box holds 72. How many altogether?” together before letting the child start alone. The answer to “A box holds 56 buttons. Another box holds 72. How many altogether?” is 128, and talking through how it was reached takes about a minute and saves several minutes of guessing later in the sheet.
Work “A box holds 30 marbles. Another box holds 46. How many altogether?” out loud as a demonstration. It gives 76. Children who hear “A box holds 30 marbles. Another box holds 46. How many altogether?” reasoned through once at the start of a session make noticeably fewer errors in the ten minutes that follow.
Because the numbers are random, there is no shared answer list to look up: the key printed behind your sheet is the only one that fits it, and it shows 70 for “A box holds 29 coins. Another box holds 41. How many altogether?”.
Keys are produced by the same code that produces the questions, so a mismatch between question and answer is not possible on these sheets.
For a class set, print one sheet, press the new-worksheet button and print again. Each child gets different numbers on the same skill, so nobody can copy the answer to “A box holds 29 coins. Another box holds 41. How many altogether?” from a neighbour.
If the problems look cramped, drop the count from 20 to a smaller number before printing these addition word problems; the font stays the same size and the spacing opens up.
Print a sheet of addition word problems, run it for 12 minutes, mark it together, and come back tomorrow for a different set of numbers on the same skill.
→ Free Word Problems Worksheets
Free printable math worksheets from a working math academy director in Korea. Problems come from our own code, not from a published workbook. Every sheet prints on US Letter or A4 with its answer key. All worksheets · Worksheet generator · Korean site
Last updated: 2026-09-13