Combining like terms worksheets
Forty questions on simplifying expressions: combining like terms, expanding brackets with the distributive property, expanding then simplifying, factoring, and writing the perimeter of shapes.
Download the free combining like terms worksheet (PDF)
Combining like terms worksheet
What’s on the worksheet
- 40 questions on combining like terms, sized for US Letter paper
- 2 pages of questions plus an answer key on the last page
- Written for grades 6–7, matching Common Core 6.EE.A.3, 7.EE.A.1
- Name and date lines at the top, and room to show the work
Sample questions from this worksheet
- 5x + 5 + 5x =
- 5x + 7 + 6x =
- 2x + 1 + 9x + 2 =
- 8x + 4 − 2x + 9 =
- x − 4x − 6 =
- 3x + 3 − x + 8 =
Preview the worksheet and answer key
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Need another page for extra practice, a retake or a second group in class? The free Mathify Kids test maker builds a fresh combining like terms worksheet with different numbers every time. Choose how many questions, print it with its own answer key, or let your child take it on screen and see the score straight away.
Combining like terms: a worked example (4(x − 7) + 6x + 6)
- Expand the brackets: 4 × x = 4x and 4 × (−7) = −28. So 4x − 28 + 6x + 6.
- Combine the x terms: 4x + 6x = 10x.
- Combine the numbers: −28 + 6 = −22.
- The simplest form is 10x − 22.
How to use it at home and in class
At home
Think of x as apples and the numbers as bananas: you can only add apples to apples. Ask your child to circle the x terms in one colour and the numbers in another before combining, and to keep each sign with the term after it. For Part E, ask how many sides the shape has before writing anything, and remember that a rectangle has two of each side. The distributive property lesson has pictures for the brackets in Parts B and C. Ten problems a day works better than a whole sheet at once. Mark them together with the answer key, then ask your child to explain one they got wrong: finding the mistake themselves is where the learning happens.
In class
Use the first row as a warm-up, a full page for independent practice, or five questions as an exit ticket. For a retake or a second group, make a new version with the test maker so every child gets different numbers.
Mistakes to watch for
- Adding unlike terms, so 3x + 2 becomes 5x.
- Expanding only the first term in the brackets.
- Dropping a minus sign, so 5x − 2x + 4 − 9 becomes 3x + 13.
- In the perimeter questions, forgetting that a rectangle has two of each side.
What to practice before and after combining like terms
- Before: multi-step equations. If this sheet is a struggle, go back a step.
- After: evaluating expressions, once this one is mostly right.
- Learn it first: the combining like terms lesson.
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Questions parents ask
What are like terms?
Terms with exactly the same variable part, such as 3x and 5x. Numbers on their own are like terms too. 3x and 3y are not like terms, and neither are x and x².
What grade is this combining like terms worksheet for?
It is written for grades 6–7 and matches Common Core standards 6.EE.A.3, 7.EE.A.1.
Can I get a different version of this combining like terms worksheet?
Yes. Use the free Mathify Kids test maker to make a new combining like terms worksheet with different numbers every time. You choose how many questions, and every version comes with its own answer key.