Multi-Step Addition & Subtraction
Emma has 245 stickers. She gives 78 to a friend and later gets 32 more. How many stickers does Emma have now?
245 − 78 + 32 = 199
Write an equation and solve: "Sofia had some marbles. She won 46, then lost 19 and ended with 128. How many did she start with?" (Use a letter for the unknown.)
x + 46 − 19 = 128 → x = 101
There are 6 rows of chairs with 8 chairs in each row. If a school sets up 3 identical rooms like this, how many chairs total?
6 × 8 × 3 = 144 chairs
Write an equation and solve: "There are 5 packages with n cookies in each. After giving away 12 cookies, there are 63 left. Find n."
5n − 12 = 63 → 5n = 75 → n = 15
Sarah buys 3 boxes of crayons. Each box has 4 packs. Each pack has 2 crayons. How many crayons does Sarah have in total?
3 x 4 x 2 = 24 crayons
A library had 1,260 books. They bought 325 new books and donated 188. How many books are in the library after these changes?
1260+325-188= 1397
Solve and show equation: "A farmer had chickens and bought 84 more, then sold 37. Now he has 243 chickens. How many did he have at first?"
x + 84 − 37 = 243 → x = 196
A pack has 12 pencils. If 9 students each get one pack, how many pencils are there altogether?
12 × 9 = 108 pencils
Create and solve: "A baker bakes 7 trays with 18 muffins each. He packs them into boxes of 6 muffins. How many boxes can he fill? Write an equation if needed."
7 × 18 = 126 muffins; 126 ÷ 6 = 21 boxes
The library had 100 books on a shelf. They added 35 new books. Then 22 books were checked out. How many books are left on the shelf?
100 + 35 - 22 = 113 books
A school collected 857 cans for a food drive. They collected 196 more the next week, then used 234 cans for a meal program. How many cans remain?
857 + 196 − 234 = 819
Write and solve an equation: "Twelve friends pooled money. After giving $58 to charity and using $27 for supplies, they had $115 left. How much did they pool originally?"
x − 58 − 27 = 115 → x = 200
A gardener plants 14 flowers in each of 7 beds. After planting, 21 flowers wilted. How many healthy flowers remain?
14 × 7 = 98; 98 − 21 = 77 flowers
Multi-step equation: "A school orders s sets of 15 markers each. They open 2 sets and lose 9 markers, ending with 351 markers. Write and solve an equation for s."
15s − 9 = 351 → 15s = 360 → s = 24
The library has 5 shelves. Each shelf holds 3 stacks of books. Each stack has 2 books. How many books are on the shelves?
5 x 3 x 2= 30 books
Luis walked 3,204 steps on Monday and 2,789 steps on Tuesday. He wanted to reach 6,500 steps for the two days. How many more steps does he need?
3,204 + 2,789 = 5,993; 6,500 − 5,993 = 507
Create an equation and solve: "A movie theater had x tickets. They sold 312 tickets on Friday and 275 on Saturday and had 913 tickets sold total. Find x."
x − 312 − 275 = 913 → x = 1,500
A school has 18 boxes of crayons with 24 crayons in each box. They share equally among 6 classrooms. How many crayons does each classroom get?
18 × 24 = 432 crayons; 432 ÷ 6 = 72 per classroom
Write an equation and solve: "A classroom groups students into teams of 4. There are t teams and 3 students are absent, so 29 students attend. Find t."
4t − 3 = 29 → 4t = 32 → t = 8
Jake saved 50 dollars. He earned 30 dollars doing chores. Then he spent 20 dollars on a video game. How much money does Jake have left?
50 + 30 - 20 = 60 dollars
A bakery made 1,450 muffins. They sold 678 in the morning and 392 in the afternoon. If they then made 210 more, how many muffins do they have left?
1,450 − 678 − 392 + 210 = 590
Multi-step equation: "A toy store started with x action figures. They received a shipment of 420, sold 287, and now have 513. Write and solve the equation for x."
x + 420 − 287 = 513 → x = 380
A factory makes 125 toys per hour. It runs 8 hours a day for 5 days. How many toys are made in that week?
125 × 8 × 5 = 5,000 toys
A farmer plants 4 rows of apple trees. Each row has 3 trees. Each tree produces 5 apples. How many apples does the farmer have?
4×3×5= 60 apples
A zoo had 90 birds. They added 28 new birds. Then 15 birds were moved to another zoo. How many birds does this zoo have now?
90 + 28 - 15 = 103 birds