50 5th Grade Word Problems

Test your multiplication, division, fraction, and volume skills with these 1- and 2-step word problems ranging from simple to challenging

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Author

Tess Loucka

Published:

Nov 2025

Key takeaways

The difference between failing math and excelling is understanding how math can be applied to daily life. The best way for 5th graders to learn real-life applications of math is through 5th grade word problems

Use the following 50 5th grade word problems to improve your problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and common sense, setting yourself up for a lifetime of mathematical success.

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10 Fraction Word Problems

These are 10 fraction word problems 5th grade students should know how to solve.

1. If Jane eats 2/8 of a pie, how much pie will be left over?

Answer
6/8 or ¾ because 8/8 – 2/8 = 6/8, which simplifies to ¾.

2. Sarah read 7/9 of a book, and Johnathan read 5/9. How much more did Sarah read?

Answer
Sarah read 2/9 more because 7/9 – 5/9 = 2/9.

3. Pete ate 3/8 of a cake, and his brother ate 2/8. How much cake did they eat in total?

Answer
They ate 5/8 of the cake because 3/8 + 2/8 = 5/8.

4. 3/5 of the flowers on one plant bloomed, and 4/5 bloomed on another. How many flowers bloomed in total?

Answer
7/5 of the flowers bloomed because 3/5 + 4/5 = 7/5.

5. Sally runs 4/12 of a mile each day. How far will she run in 5 days?

Answer
She will run 20/12 or 1⅔ miles because 4/12 × 5 = 20/12 = 1 8/12, which simplifies to 1⅔.

6. If each student gets 1/8 of a chocolate bar, how many chocolate bars should 24 students get?

Answer
They should get 3 chocolate bars because 1/8 × 24 = 24/8 = 3.

7. If 34 pounds of dough is split into 11 equal parts, how much dough will be in each part?

Answer
Each part will have 3 1/11 pounds because 34 ÷ 11 = 3 1/11.

8. If 4 friends evenly split ½ a box of cookies, what portion does each friend get?

Answer
Each friend gets 1/8 of the cookies because 1/2 ÷ 4 = 1/2 × 1/4 = 1/8.

9. One cup of lemonade requires 2/6 of a lemon. How many cups can 10 lemons make?

Answer
10 lemons make 30 cups because 10 ÷ 2/6 = 10 × 6/2 = 30.

10. Laine drinks 3/7 cups of orange juice a day. How much juice does she drink in 4 days?

Answer
She drinks 12/7 cups because 3/7 × 4 = 12/7.

10 Multi Step Word Problems

Try these 10 multi step word problems 5th grade students should know how to solve.

1. If 1 cat eats ⅓ cups of food twice a day, how many cups of food will 8 cats eat in 3 days?

Answer
16 cups because 1 cat eats ⅔ cups per day (⅓ × 2), so 8 cats eat ⅔ × 8 = 16/3 cups per day, and over 3 days: 16/3 × 3 = 16 cups.

2. If Oscar gives his dog 3 treats a day, how many treats will the dog get after 3 weeks?

Answer
63 treats because 3 weeks = 21 days, and 21 × 3 treats = 63 treats.

3. One rectangular prism is 13 ft × 24 ft × 20 ft. Another is 9 ft × 10 ft × 20 ft. What is their combined volume?

Answer
8,040 cubic feet because 13 × 24 × 20 = 6,240; 9 × 10 × 20 = 1,800; total = 6,240 + 1,800 = 8,040.

4. Michael’s room is 14 ft cube. Michelle’s room is 15 ft × 9 ft × 16 ft. Whose room is larger and by how much?

Answer
Michael’s is larger by 584 cubic feet because 14³ = 2,744; 15 × 9 × 16 = 2,160; difference = 2,744 – 2,160 = 584.

5. If a pool is 10 ft long, 8 ft wide, and has a volume of 640 cubic feet, how deep is the pool?

Answer
8 feet deep because 10 × 8 = 80, and 640 ÷ 80 = 8.

6. In a tournament, 2 teams go to the final. There are 72 participants in 12 even teams. How many players go to the final?

Answer
12 players because 72 ÷ 12 = 6 players per team; 6 × 2 = 12 players.

7. Ryan ate ⅝ of a pie and Clark ate ⅗. Who ate more and by how much?

Answer
Ryan ate 1/40 more because ⅝ = 25/40 and ⅗ = 24/40; difference = 25/40 – 24/40 = 1/40.

8. Maya wants to bake 8 pies. Each requires 3 cups of flour. If a bag has 12 cups, how many bags are needed?

Answer
2 bags because 8 × 3 = 24 cups; 24 ÷ 12 = 2 bags.

9. Liam earned ⅗ of $60 and Annie earned 4/6 of $60. Who earned more and by how much?

Answer
Annie earned $4 more because ⅗ × 60 = 36 and 4/6 × 60 = 40; 40 – 36 = 4.

10. A box of markers contains 7 markers. How many boxes should you buy to give 3 markers to 14 people?

Answer
6 boxes because 3 × 14 = 42 markers; 42 ÷ 7 = 6 boxes.

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10 Division Word Problems

Try these 10 5th grade division word problems.

1. A baker needs 108 strawberries. If they are sold in packs of 15, how many packs must the baker buy?

Answer
8 packs because 108 ÷ 15 = 7.2, which must be rounded up to 8.

2. If Elliot has 64 cups of flour and uses 4 cups per batch of cookies, how many batches can he make?

Answer
16 batches because 64 ÷ 4 = 16.

3. If each box of pencils holds 12 pencils, how many boxes would hold 108 pencils?

Answer
9 boxes because 108 ÷ 12 = 9.

4. If 94 bottles of soda are split into groups of 6, how many bottles will be left over?

Answer
4 bottles will be left over because 94 ÷ 6 = 15 remainder 4.

5. If 6 friends evenly share 138 lollipops, how many lollipops will each friend get?

Answer
23 lollipops because 138 ÷ 6 = 23.

6. Ms. Lewis can grade 25 tests per day. How many days will it take her to grade 175 tests?

Answer
7 days because 175 ÷ 25 = 7.

7. If one monkey at the zoo eats 3 pounds of fruit per day, how many monkeys can 57 pounds of fruit feed?

Answer
19 monkeys because 57 ÷ 3 = 19.

8. Joseph and Ann have to share $20.68 for the book fair. How much money will each person get?

Answer
$10.34 because 20.68 ÷ 2 = 10.34.

9. If 4 children share 16 cupcakes evenly, how many cupcakes will each child get?

Answer
4 cupcakes because 16 ÷ 4 = 4.

10. 48 students are split into 3 equal groups for group projects. How many students are in each group?

Answer
16 students because 48 ÷ 3 = 16.

10 Multiplication Word Problems

Try these 10 5th grade multiplication word problems.

1. Thomas is inviting 32 guests to his party. If he wants each guest to get 6 cookies, how many cookies will he need?

Answer
192 cookies because 32 × 6 = 192.

2. There are 14 rows of flowers. Each row contains 8 flowers. How many flowers are there in total?

Answer
112 flowers because 14 × 8 = 112.

3. On average, one strawberry has about 200 seeds. How many seeds would a pack of 24 strawberries have?

Answer
About 4,800 seeds because 200 × 24 = 4,800.

4. If a pen can write 35 pages before running out of ink, how many pages could 9 pens write?

Answer
315 pages because 35 × 9 = 315.

5. If a bottle of water can hold 23.7 fluid ounces, how many fluid ounces can 5 bottles hold?

Answer
118.5 fluid ounces because 23.7 × 5 = 118.5.

6. If one octave on a keyboard contains 12 keys, how many keys are in 4 octaves?

Answer
48 keys because 12 × 4 = 48.

7. Liana reads 2.5 chapters of her book every day. How many chapters can she read in 7 days?

Answer
17.5 chapters because 2.5 × 7 = 17.5.

8. If one protein bar contains 256 calories, how many calories are in a pack of 12 bars?

Answer
3,072 calories because 256 × 12 = 3,072.

9. Charles earns $1.07 per minute at his job. How much does he earn in 2 hours?

Answer
$128.4 because $1.07 × 120 minutes = $128.4.

10. The Friday Evening Post Magazine publishes 12 online articles per week. How many articles will they post in one year?

Answer
624 articles because 12 × 52 = 624.

10 Volume Word Problems

These are 10 volume word problems 5th grade students should know how to solve. 

1. If a cube is 6 inches tall, what is the cube’s volume?

Answer
216 cubic inches because 6 × 6 × 6 = 216.

2. If a table is 5 feet long, 1.5 feet wide, and 3 feet tall, what is the volume of space beneath it?

Answer
22.5 cubic feet because 5 × 1.5 × 3 = 22.5.

3. A desk drawer is 45 centimeters long, 25 centimeters wide, and 8 centimeters deep. What is its volume?

Answer
9,000 cubic centimeters because 45 × 25 × 8 = 9,000.

4. Sandra makes a stack of dice that is 4 dice wide, 5 dice long, and 3 dice tall. How many dice are in her stack?

Answer
60 dice because 4 × 5 × 3 = 60.

5. If a box of candy is 12 inches long, 7 inches wide, and 3 inches tall, how much space is inside for candy?

Answer
252 cubic inches because 12 × 7 × 3 = 252.

6. A standard die measures 16 millimeters across. What is the volume of a standard die?

Answer
4,096 cubic millimeters because 16 × 16 × 16 = 4,096.

7. Richard’s book measures 5 inches wide, 8 inches tall, and 1.5 inches thick. What is the book’s volume?

Answer
60 cubic inches because 5 × 8 × 1.5 = 60.

8. If your dresser is 1.5 yards wide, 1 yard wide, and 1 yard tall, how much space do you have for your clothes?

Answer
1.5 cubic yards because 1.5 × 1 × 1 = 1.5.

9. A block is about 3 inches wide. What is the volume of the block?

Answer
About 27 cubic inches because 3 × 3 × 3 = 27.

10. You need to pack food into a cube-shaped box. The box is 2 feet tall. What is the volume of the box?

Answer
8 cubic feet because 2 × 2 × 2 = 8.

For more 5th grade word problems, explore textbooks, workbooks, or online resources such as math programs or math apps. Practice a little every day until you feel confident.

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About the Author

Tess Loucka

Tess Loucka discovered her passion for writing in high school and has not stopped writing since. Combined with her love of numbers, she became a math and English tutor, focusing on middle- and high-school-level topics. Since graduating from Hunter College, her goal has been to use her writing to spread knowledge and the joy of learning to readers of all ages.