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Subtraction · Grade 2

2 Digit Subtraction Worksheets Without Regrouping

Subtract the ones and tens without exchanging a ten. Each problem has enough ones in the starting number to subtract directly.

15 problemsAnswer key includedFree printableA4 & US Letter
Generate & printSee the worked example

Subtract amounts that have the same place value

Olivia has 58 craft beads and uses 23. She can subtract the ones, but is unsure whether the 2 means two beads or two groups of ten.

Start with 58: 5 tens and 8 ones.

Remove 23: 2 tens and 3 ones.

8 − 3 = 5 ones
5 − 2 = 3 tens
58 − 23 = 35

The 2 in 23 represents twenty. Removing two tens from five tens leaves three tens. Removing three ones from eight ones leaves five ones. The remaining amount is thirty-five, so the answer is 35.

How can we tell that regrouping is unnecessary?

Look at the ones column before subtracting. Eight ones are enough to remove three ones. There is no need to exchange a ten for extra ones. In every problem on this worksheet, the starting ones digit is at least as large as the ones digit being subtracted.

If the child writes 53: ask them to point to the tens and ones in their result. They may have found the right two digits but put them in the opposite columns. Three tens and five ones make 35.

Do not turn subtraction into a digit-sorting rule

It can be tempting to teach “subtract the smaller digit from the larger digit.” That shortcut will fail when regrouping is needed. Keep the meaning consistent: start with the top amount and take away the bottom amount. On this sheet, that action can be completed without an exchange.

If a ones-column result is zero, keep its place. For example, 48 − 28 = 20, not 2. The zero tells us that two tens and no ones remain. A quick drawing of two bundles helps explain why the zero matters.

Make a practice set

Choose what to print. Selecting both shows the answer key on screen and prints the questions followed by the answers.

Print materials

After the practice

Check one subtraction with addition: 35 + 23 = 58. If the child understands place value and consistently keeps the columns aligned, move to the regrouping worksheet. That next set adds one new idea—exchanging a ten—while retaining the same meaning of subtraction.

More about subtraction · Grade 2 worksheets

Grade 2 selected skill connection: 2.NBT.B.5. See the Common Core grade guidance. This worksheet does not cover every requirement in the standard.