17Free Subtraction Worksheets for Grade 2, From Facts Within 20 to Three Digits

Seventeen free 2nd grade subtraction worksheets in the order we would use them. Start by making subtraction within 20 automatic, then move into two-digit subtraction: first with no regrouping, then crossing a ten, then regrouping on every problem, and finally deciding for yourself when to regroup. After that come checking with addition, missing numbers and word problems, and the set finishes with three-digit subtraction within 1000, from mental math with tens and hundreds up to regrouping twice in one problem.

In this roundup

The full list

  1. Subtraction Fact Triangles Worksheet for 2nd Grade
  2. Fall Subtraction Within 20 Worksheet for 2nd Grade
  3. Timed Subtraction Within 20 Worksheet for 2nd Grade
  4. 2nd Grade Subtraction Worksheet: Two-Digit No Regrouping
  5. Two-Digit Minus One-Digit Subtraction Worksheet Grade 2
  6. Subtracting From Tens: 2nd Grade Subtraction Worksheet
  7. Tens and Ones Regrouping Subtraction Worksheet Grade 2
  8. Ocean Subtraction With Regrouping Worksheet for Grade 2
  9. Regroup or Not Subtraction Worksheet for 2nd Grade
  10. Subtraction Within 100 Worksheet for 2nd Grade
  11. Subtraction Worksheet With Addition Check for Grade 2
  12. Missing Number Subtraction Worksheet for Grade 2
  13. Subtraction Word Problems Worksheet for 2nd Grade
  14. Take Away 10 and 100 Subtraction Worksheet for Grade 2
  15. Hundreds and Tens Mental Subtraction Worksheet Grade 2
  16. 3-Digit Minus 2-Digit Subtraction Worksheet for Grade 2
  17. Three-Digit Subtraction Worksheet for Grade 2

The set follows the second grade Common Core subtraction standards in order. Fluency within 20 is 2.OA.2, two-digit subtraction, checking and missing numbers are 2.NBT.5, word problems are 2.OA.1, subtracting 10 or 100 mentally is 2.NBT.8, and three-digit subtraction within 1000 is 2.NBT.7.

If a child gets stuck partway through, the fix is almost always one step back. Trouble with two-digit regrouping usually means subtraction within 20 is not automatic yet, and trouble with three digits usually means place value needs another look with sheets 14 and 15.

Nine of the seventeen are plain black on white and download as true vector PDFs, so they print sharp and are light on ink for a class set. The other eight are in color.

01

Subtraction Fact Triangles Worksheet for 2nd Grade

Facts within 20 · 15 minutes · Grade 2
Subtraction Fact Triangles Worksheet for 2nd Grade worksheet preview

Eight fact triangles with a whole at the top and two parts below. The child writes both subtraction sentences for each one.

Why it goes first Seeing that 13 splits into 9 and 4 means knowing two subtraction answers at once. It turns subtraction facts into something to understand rather than something to memorize.
02

Fall Subtraction Within 20 Worksheet for 2nd Grade

Facts within 20 · 15 minutes · Grade 2
Fall Subtraction Within 20 Worksheet for 2nd Grade worksheet preview

Thirty problems within 20 written across the page, with pumpkins and autumn leaves along the bottom. Most of them cross 10.

Why it comes here Crossing 10 is the hard part of subtraction within 20, and every two-digit sheet later in the set leans on it. Steady practice here pays off on everything that follows.
03

Timed Subtraction Within 20 Worksheet for 2nd Grade

Facts within 20 · 10 minutes · Grade 2
Timed Subtraction Within 20 Worksheet for 2nd Grade worksheet preview

Forty problems within 20 with a score out of 40 and boxes for three tries.

How to use it Time it once, keep the sheet, and try again a few days later. By the end of second grade these should come from memory, and beating your own score is the best motivation there is.
04

2nd Grade Subtraction Worksheet: Two-Digit No Regrouping

Two-digit subtraction · 15 minutes · Grade 2
2nd Grade Subtraction Worksheet: Two-Digit No Regrouping worksheet preview

Twenty two-digit problems in columns, none of which need regrouping.

Why it opens two digits With nothing to borrow, a child can get used to working right to left, ones first and then tens, before regrouping comes into it.
05

Two-Digit Minus One-Digit Subtraction Worksheet Grade 2

Crossing a ten · 15 minutes · Grade 2
Two-Digit Minus One-Digit Subtraction Worksheet Grade 2 worksheet preview

Twenty-four problems like 32 - 5, every one crossing a ten, with a worked example of getting to the ten first.

The strategy Taking 43 - 7 as 43 - 3 and then 40 - 4 is regrouping done in your head. It makes the idea feel natural before it is written down in columns.
06

Subtracting From Tens: 2nd Grade Subtraction Worksheet

Regrouping · 15 minutes · Grade 2
Subtracting From Tens: 2nd Grade Subtraction Worksheet worksheet preview

Sixteen column problems where the top number is always a multiple of ten, like 70 - 25.

Why it works A zero in the ones place leaves nothing to take away from, so regrouping is the only way forward. It is the clearest possible first look at trading a ten for ten ones.
07

Tens and Ones Regrouping Subtraction Worksheet Grade 2

Regrouping · 20 minutes · Grade 2
Tens and Ones Regrouping Subtraction Worksheet Grade 2 worksheet preview

Twelve problems set in tens and ones charts, each with a spare row for the regrouped digits. Every one needs regrouping.

Why it comes here The labeled columns show exactly what regrouping does: one fewer ten and ten more ones. It is the bridge from blocks and drawings to plain column subtraction.
08

Ocean Subtraction With Regrouping Worksheet for Grade 2

Regrouping · 20 minutes · Grade 2
Ocean Subtraction With Regrouping Worksheet for Grade 2 worksheet preview

Sixteen two-digit problems in columns with a sea turtle and clownfish, and every one regroups.

Best for Plenty of repetition once the idea has landed. With regrouping on every problem there is nothing to decide, so all the attention goes on getting the borrowing right.
09

Regroup or Not Subtraction Worksheet for 2nd Grade

Deciding when to regroup · 15 minutes · Grade 2
Regroup or Not Subtraction Worksheet for 2nd Grade worksheet preview

Sixteen problems within 100. Before solving each one, the child circles yes or no for whether it needs regrouping. Exactly half do.

The real skill After three sheets of regrouping every time, some children regroup everywhere. Stopping to look at the ones first is what turns a habit into understanding.
10

Subtraction Within 100 Worksheet for 2nd Grade

Mixed practice · 20 minutes · Grade 2
Subtraction Within 100 Worksheet for 2nd Grade worksheet preview

Twenty problems within 100, one-digit and two-digit, with half needing regrouping and no hint about which.

The real test This is second grade fluency within 100. A child who gets these right is reading each problem, not following a pattern from the sheet before.
11

Subtraction Worksheet With Addition Check for Grade 2

Checking your work · 15 minutes · Grade 2
Subtraction Worksheet With Addition Check for Grade 2 worksheet preview

Ten two-digit problems, each followed by an addition sentence that checks the answer.

Why it matters Adding back up to the starting number is a check a child can do alone. It also shows that addition and subtraction undo each other, which the next sheet relies on.
12

Missing Number Subtraction Worksheet for Grade 2

Thinking backward · 15 minutes · Grade 2
Missing Number Subtraction Worksheet for Grade 2 worksheet preview

Sixteen subtraction sentences within 100 with a box for the missing number, half in the middle and half at the start.

Watch for The problems with the box at the start, like __ - 20 = 35, are the harder half. Using addition, as on the previous sheet, is the easiest way in.
13

Subtraction Word Problems Worksheet for 2nd Grade

Word problems · 20 minutes · Grade 2
Subtraction Word Problems Worksheet for 2nd Grade worksheet preview

Six story problems within 100 with room to show the work, including one that compares and one that asks how many more.

Watch for Problems 3 and 5 have nothing being taken away, so a child has to work out that subtraction is the tool. Problem 5 is really a missing number problem in a story.
14

Take Away 10 and 100 Subtraction Worksheet for Grade 2

Into the hundreds · 10 minutes · Grade 2
Take Away 10 and 100 Subtraction Worksheet for Grade 2 worksheet preview

Ten three-digit numbers in a table. Write 10 less and 100 less for each, all in your head.

Why it opens three digits Seeing that taking away 10 changes only the tens digit, and taking away 100 only the hundreds, is the place value idea every three-digit sheet after this depends on.
15

Hundreds and Tens Mental Subtraction Worksheet Grade 2

Into the hundreds · 15 minutes · Grade 2
Hundreds and Tens Mental Subtraction Worksheet Grade 2 worksheet preview

Twenty mental math problems like 650 - 200 and 874 - 30, with the hint that only one digit should change.

The interesting part 990 - 90 and 600 - 500 look surprising until you spot which digit moved. A child who sees those without writing anything down really understands place value.
16

3-Digit Minus 2-Digit Subtraction Worksheet for Grade 2

Three-digit subtraction · 20 minutes · Grade 2
3-Digit Minus 2-Digit Subtraction Worksheet for Grade 2 worksheet preview

Fifteen problems taking a two-digit number from a three-digit one, six of them with regrouping in the ones.

Why it comes here Lining up numbers of different lengths is the new challenge, and the regrouping is the same two-digit kind from earlier in the set, so only one thing is new.
17

Three-Digit Subtraction Worksheet for Grade 2

Three-digit regrouping · 25 minutes · Grade 2
Three-Digit Subtraction Worksheet for Grade 2 worksheet preview

Twelve three-digit problems within 1000. Some need no regrouping, most regroup in the ones or the tens, and one regroups twice.

Why it ends the set Regrouping a hundred into ten tens is the last new step in second grade subtraction. Mixing it in with problems that need nothing shows a child is checking every column on their own.

One more thing.

If your kids finish a unit and you're not sure what to do next, our honest advice: don't move on yet. Spend a week mixing these in as warm-ups. Fluency isn't a unit, it's a habit, and the sheet that builds it is usually the one they ask to do again.

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