3rd Grade Word Problems Worksheets

3rd grade word problems bring in multiplication and division, and they mix them with addition, subtraction, time, area and fractions. That is why third graders need mixed practice: the hardest part is deciding which operation the story needs. Each of these four sheets has six different kinds of problem.

What 3rd graders learn about word problems

• Multiplication and division within 100: equal groups, arrays and sharing (standard 3.OA.A.3).
• Two-step problems with all four operations (3.OA.D.8), such as spending money on two things.
• Remainders: “53 children in teams of 9: how many full teams, and how many left over?”
• Elapsed time to the minute (3.MD.A.1), with a clock showing the start time.
• Area and perimeter of rectangles (3.MD.C.7 and 3.MD.D.8), with a labelled picture.
• Mass in kilograms (3.MD.A.2) and fractions of a group.

Why the sheets mix problem types

Third grade is the year multiplication and division arrive, and many children start multiplying every story they see. Each sheet puts equal-groups stories next to perimeter, elapsed time, mass and fraction problems, some of which need addition or subtraction instead. The four sets (A to D) have different problems, and page 2 of every sheet is the answer key. Press Generate your own for brand-new problems with the same mix; the maker remembers what you have already seen on this device.

A worked example

“A swimming pool is 14 meters long and 5 meters wide. How many meters of fence go all the way around it?”

“All the way around” means perimeter: add all four sides. 14 + 5 + 14 + 5 = 38. 38 meters of fence are needed. If the question asked how much ground the pool covers, that would be area: 14 × 5 = 70 square meters.

Tips for teaching 3rd grade word problems

• Ask “are the groups equal?” Equal groups usually mean multiplication or division.
• Look for words that tell you about the remainder: “full teams”, “left over”, “how many buses”.
• For focused practice, use the multiplication and division word problems, the two-step word problems and the time word problems.

Drawing the stories as pictures

Many problems become easy once they are drawn. These three pictures show an array, a rectangle with area and perimeter, and a time line.

10 practice 3rd grade math word problems with answers

These problems mix the four operations with area, perimeter, time, mass and fractions of a group, as the sheets do.

Read each problem aloud or let your child read it, then check the answer below it. To print the problems as a quiz, with or without the answers, use the print buttons on this page.

1. There are 6 packs of juice boxes with 4 juice boxes in each pack. How many juice boxes are there?
   Answer: 24 juice boxes (6 × 4 = 24)
2. 35 apples are shared equally among 7 baskets. How many apples are in each basket?
   Answer: 5 apples (35 ÷ 7 = 5)
3. A garden is 8 meters long and 6 meters wide. What is its area?
   Answer: 48 square meters (8 × 6 = 48)
4. Maya buys 3 books for $7 each. She pays with $30. How much change does she get?
   Answer: $9 (3 × 7 = 21, then 30 − 21 = 9)
5. 50 children go on a trip in vans that hold 8 children each. How many vans are needed?
   Answer: 7 vans (50 ÷ 8 = 6 remainder 2, so one more van is needed for the last 2 children)
6. A movie starts at 2:15 p.m. and ends at 3:50 p.m. How long is the movie?
   Answer: 1 hour 35 minutes (95 minutes)
7. A bag of rice has a mass of 5 kilograms. What is the mass of 4 bags?
   Answer: 20 kilograms (4 × 5 = 20)
8. There are 24 cupcakes. 1/3 of them have sprinkles. How many cupcakes have sprinkles?
   Answer: 8 cupcakes (24 ÷ 3 = 8)
9. A square picture frame has sides of 9 inches. What is its perimeter?
   Answer: 36 inches (9 + 9 + 9 + 9 = 36)
10. Ella has 48 stickers. She puts them in rows of 6. How many rows does she make?
    Answer: 8 rows (48 ÷ 6 = 8)

Multiply, divide, add or subtract?

For each story, the question to ask is “are the groups equal, and which number is missing?” The same three numbers can make a multiplication or a division story.

End-of-year checklist

By the end of the year, most third graders can do the following (from the Common Core grade 3 standards):

• Solve multiplication and division word problems within 100 with equal groups, arrays and measurements (3.OA.A.3).
• Know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers (3.OA.C.7).
• Solve two-step word problems with all four operations, and check the answer by estimating (3.OA.D.8).
• Work out time intervals in minutes (3.MD.A.1) and find the area and perimeter of rectangles (3.MD.C.7, 3.MD.D.8).

Word problems for other grades

• Kindergarten word problems
• 1st grade word problems
• 2nd grade word problems
• 4th grade word problems
• 5th grade word problems

Last updated: October 2026