5th Grade Word Problems Worksheets

5th grade word problems bring decimals, fractions with different denominators and volume into everyday stories: shopping, cooking, building and traveling. Children also divide by 2-digit numbers and convert metric units. Each of these four sheets has five mixed problems with a work box.

What 5th graders learn about word problems

• Decimals and money: adding, subtracting and multiplying dollars and cents, and finding change from $50 (standard 5.NBT.B.7).
• Fractions with unlike denominators: “2/3 of a mile and then 1/4 of a mile” (5.NF.A.2).
• Multiplying fractions: a fraction of a group and a fraction of a fraction (5.NF.B.4 and 5.NF.B.6).
• Dividing: multi-digit numbers by 2-digit numbers, and deciding when to round up (5.NBT.B.6).
• Volume of boxes and tanks (5.MD.C.5) and metric conversions such as kilograms to grams (5.MD.A.1).

Why the sheets mix problem types

Fifth grade stories often mix decimals, fractions and whole numbers in one problem, and the hard part is choosing the right tool for each step. Each sheet puts money, unlike fractions, fraction multiplication, long division, volume and metric conversions together, so children practice deciding as well as calculating. 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

“Noah walks 2/3 of a mile to the park and then 1/4 of a mile to a friend’s house. How far does Noah walk in all?”

The denominators are different, so find a common one: 12. 2/3 = 8/12 and 1/4 = 3/12, so 8/12 + 3/12 = 11/12. Noah walks 11/12 of a mile. That is a little less than 1 mile, which makes sense because 2/3 + 1/4 is less than 1.

Tips for teaching 5th grade word problems

• Line up the decimal points when adding or subtracting money and measurements.
• Estimate with whole numbers first: $18.17 × 5 is about $18 × 5 = $90.
• For harder fraction stories, see fraction of a fraction word problems, and for a method that works every time read how to solve math word problems.

Drawing the problems as pictures

Fractions and volume are where these problems most often go wrong. These three pictures show why the methods work.

10 practice 5th grade math word problems with answers

These problems match the grade 5 standards: decimals and money, unlike fractions, multiplying and dividing fractions, long division, volume and conversions.

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. Ana buys a notebook for $3.75 and a pack of pens for $2.49. She pays with $10. How much change does she get?
   Answer: $3.76 ($3.75 + $2.49 = $6.24, then $10.00 − $6.24 = $3.76)
2. A bottle holds 1.5 liters of water. How many liters are in 6 bottles?
   Answer: 9 liters (6 × 1.5 = 9)
3. Tom ran 3/4 of a mile on Monday and 2/3 of a mile on Tuesday. How far did he run in all?
   Answer: 1 5/12 miles (9/12 + 8/12 = 17/12)
4. A box is 6 cm long, 4 cm wide and 5 cm high. What is its volume?
   Answer: 120 cubic centimeters (6 × 4 × 5 = 120)
5. 756 books are packed equally into 18 boxes. How many books go in each box?
   Answer: 42 books (756 ÷ 18 = 42)
6. A recipe needs 2/3 cup of sugar. Ella makes half of the recipe. How much sugar does she use?
   Answer: 1/3 cup (1/2 × 2/3 = 2/6 = 1/3)
7. A ribbon is 4 1/2 meters long. Jo cuts off 1 3/4 meters. How much ribbon is left?
   Answer: 2 3/4 meters (4 2/4 − 1 3/4 = 2 3/4)
8. A bag of flour has a mass of 2.5 kilograms. How many grams is that?
   Answer: 2,500 grams (2.5 × 1,000 = 2,500)
9. 4 friends share 3 pizzas equally. How much pizza does each friend get?
   Answer: 3/4 of a pizza (3 ÷ 4 = 3/4)
10. A school needs 425 pencils. Pencils come in packs of 24. How many packs must it buy?
    Answer: 18 packs (17 packs is only 408 pencils, so one more pack is needed)

Estimate before you calculate

At this level, most wrong answers come from a slipped decimal point or a fraction step done backwards. A quick estimate catches both.

End-of-year checklist

By the end of the year, most fifth graders can do the following (from the Common Core grade 5 standards):

• Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators in word problems (5.NF.A.2).
• Multiply fractions, and divide unit fractions by whole numbers and whole numbers by unit fractions (5.NF.B.6, 5.NF.B.7).
• Add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals to hundredths (5.NBT.B.7), and divide up to 4-digit numbers by 2-digit numbers (5.NBT.B.6).
• Find the volume of a box and convert units within one measurement system, such as kilograms to grams (5.MD.C.5, 5.MD.A.1).

Word problems for other grades

• Kindergarten word problems
• 1st grade word problems
• 2nd grade word problems
• 3rd grade word problems
• 4th grade word problems

Last updated: October 2026