Worksheets · Algebra 1

One-step equation word problems worksheet for Algebra 1

Algebra 1 asks for the equation as well as the answer: name the unknown with a variable, write a one-step equation from the sentence, then solve it. Some questions give a fraction of a total, like one fourth of a class, so the undoing step is multiplying by the reciprocal.

Also taught in Pre-Algebra, at its own level and with its own examples.

Select your difficulty

Pick more than one for a sheet that mixes them.

The preview can look cramped on a phone. The PDF and printed sheet come out normal.

Free math worksheets at sigmaprep.io/worksheets© 2026 Sigma Prep

Sigma Prep · sigmaprep.io/worksheets

Name

One-Step Equation Word Problems

Date Period

Solve each problem.

  1. Solve one-step word problems

    The temperature fell 6 degrees overnight to 12 degrees. What was it before it fell?
  2. After spending $11 on a jacket, Ava has $43 left. How much did Ava have to start with?
  3. 3 notebooks cost $6 in all. How much does each notebook cost?
  4. 3 boxes of books weigh 21 pounds in all. How much does one weigh?
  5. 9 identical crates weigh 18 pounds in all. How much does one weigh?
  6. After spending $5 on a jacket, Priya has $16 left. How much did Priya have to start with?
  7. After spending $12 on a jacket, Maya has $44 left. How much did Maya have to start with?

  1. Write an equation, then solve

    Write an equation, then solve it. 9 equal boxes hold 72 books in all. How many books are in each box?
  2. Write an equation, then solve it. After spending $21, Jo has $17 left. How much did Jo have at first?
  3. Write an equation, then solve it. A plant grew 10 cm and is now 40 cm tall. How tall was it before?
  4. Write an equation, then solve it. A prize is split equally among 4 winners, and each gets $13. How big was the prize?
  5. Write an equation, then solve it. A prize is split equally among 6 winners, and each gets $34. How big was the prize?
  6. Write an equation, then solve it. 5 equal boxes hold 35 books in all. How many books are in each box?
  7. Write an equation, then solve it. A plant grew 12 cm and is now 29 cm tall. How tall was it before?

  1. Find the whole from a part

    One fourth of the class, 5 students, went on the trip. How many students are in the class?
  2. One sixth of the class, 2 students, went on the trip. How many students are in the class?
  3. One third of the class, 8 students, went on the trip. How many students are in the class?
  4. One fifth of the class, 3 students, went on the trip. How many students are in the class?
  5. One half of the class, 18 students, went on the trip. How many students are in the class?
  6. One half of the class, 16 students, went on the trip. How many students are in the class?

Free math worksheets at sigmaprep.io/worksheets© 2026 Sigma Prep

Sigma Prep · sigmaprep.io/worksheets

Name

One-Step Equation Word ProblemsAnswer keyVersion 2

Date Period

Solve each problem.

  1. Solve one-step word problems

    The temperature fell 6 degrees overnight to 12 degrees. What was it before it fell?18 degrees
  2. After spending $11 on a jacket, Ava has $43 left. How much did Ava have to start with?$54
  3. 3 notebooks cost $6 in all. How much does each notebook cost?$2
  4. 3 boxes of books weigh 21 pounds in all. How much does one weigh?7 pounds
  5. 9 identical crates weigh 18 pounds in all. How much does one weigh?2 pounds
  6. After spending $5 on a jacket, Priya has $16 left. How much did Priya have to start with?$21
  7. After spending $12 on a jacket, Maya has $44 left. How much did Maya have to start with?$56

  1. Write an equation, then solve

    Write an equation, then solve it. 9 equal boxes hold 72 books in all. How many books are in each box?9x=72, x=8 books
  2. Write an equation, then solve it. After spending $21, Jo has $17 left. How much did Jo have at first?x−21=17, x=$38
  3. Write an equation, then solve it. A plant grew 10 cm and is now 40 cm tall. How tall was it before?x+10=40, x=30 cm
  4. Write an equation, then solve it. A prize is split equally among 4 winners, and each gets $13. How big was the prize?x4=13, x=$52
  5. Write an equation, then solve it. A prize is split equally among 6 winners, and each gets $34. How big was the prize?x6=34, x=$204
  6. Write an equation, then solve it. 5 equal boxes hold 35 books in all. How many books are in each box?5x=35, x=7 books
  7. Write an equation, then solve it. A plant grew 12 cm and is now 29 cm tall. How tall was it before?x+12=29, x=17 cm

  1. Find the whole from a part

    One fourth of the class, 5 students, went on the trip. How many students are in the class?20 students
  2. One sixth of the class, 2 students, went on the trip. How many students are in the class?12 students
  3. One third of the class, 8 students, went on the trip. How many students are in the class?24 students
  4. One fifth of the class, 3 students, went on the trip. How many students are in the class?15 students
  5. One half of the class, 18 students, went on the trip. How many students are in the class?36 students
  6. One half of the class, 16 students, went on the trip. How many students are in the class?32 students

Free math worksheets at sigmaprep.io/worksheets© 2026 Sigma Prep

How to do these

Two thirds of a tank is 18 gallons. How much does the full tank hold?

  1. Let x be the full tank: (2/3)x = 18.
  2. Multiply both sides by 3/2: x = 27.

The answer is 27.

Where students go wrong

Multiplying by the fraction instead of dividing by it. If 3/4 of a class is 27 students, the class is larger than 27, so 27 × 3/4 cannot be the answer; dividing by 3/4 gives 36.

Also called one step equation word problems, one-step word problems or writing one-step equations.

What you can put on this worksheet

One-step word problems
Some cards are shared equally among 5 players, and each gets 7. How many cards were there? → 35 cards
Write the equation, then solve
Write an equation, then solve it. 6 equal boxes hold 60 books in all. How many books are in each box? → 6x=60, x=10 books
A fraction or percent of an unknown
One fourth of the class, 6 students, went on the trip. How many students are in the class? → 24 students
Comparisons, change, and part of a cost
Leo read 13 more pages than Ivy. Leo read 26 pages. How many pages did Ivy read? → 13

Questions about these worksheets

Yes. Every one-step equation word problems sheet is free to print and free to download as a PDF. There is no account to make, no email to hand over and no limit on how many you take.

Yes. The answer key prints on a second page, and you can choose whether it shows each question beside its answer or just the answers in a list.

Yes. Print straight from the page, or download the PDF and print that. The sheet is laid out for paper rather than squeezed off a screen, so there is room to work under each question, and the answer key comes out on its own page.

Algebra 1 is usually taken around 8th or 9th grade, though schools vary and plenty of students meet it earlier or later. Pick the difficulty rather than the grade: the easy level suits a first lesson on it, the hard level suits review before a test.

Yes, as many as you like. The questions are built fresh each time rather than picked from a fixed set of files, so pressing Generate gives a new sheet. That is what you want for a second class, a retake, or two students sitting next to each other.

That is the closest comparison, and Kuta Software is good software. It is also paid software you install on a computer. These worksheets run in a browser tab for free, with no account and nothing to install. Like Kuta, the one-step equation word problems questions are generated when you ask for them rather than pulled from a fixed set of files, so two classes never get the same sheet, and the answer key comes with it.

Yes. There are three levels, and you can tick more than one for a sheet that mixes them, in which case the questions come out easiest first. The harder levels are not just larger numbers: they ask for something the easy ones do not.

You pick from 4: one-step word problems, write the equation, then solve, a fraction or percent of an unknown and comparisons, change, and part of a cost. Tick as many as you want and set how many of each, or let it spread them evenly.

Using the operation in the story instead of undoing it. Spending $15 is a subtraction in the story, so it is an addition when you solve for what was there before.