Free Math Word Problem Worksheets With Answers
These free math word problem worksheets ask students to choose an operation and justify it, not just compute, and each answer shows the reasoning as well as the arithmetic. They range from single-step grade 3 problems to multi-step grade 8 questions mixing percentages, rates, and geometry. The same style of question can be generated as a printable word problem test with a full answer key.
Grades 3–8 · 9 free questions with worked answers · No sign-up to practise
Skills covered in these word problem worksheets
- Choosing the correct operation from context
- Single-step and multi-step problems
- Problems involving money and measurement
- Rate, time and distance problems
- Percentage and ratio in context
- Interpreting remainders and rounding sensibly
Free word problem practice questions with answers
Every question below includes the final answer and the steps behind it, so the sheet doubles as its own answer key. Filter by grade or difficulty to build the set you need.
- Question 1easyGrade 3
Maya has 24 stickers and gives 9 to a friend. How many are left?
Show answer and worked solution
Answer: 15 stickers
Giving away means subtraction: 24 − 9 = 15.
- Question 2easyGrade 3
A pack holds 6 markers. How many markers are in 7 packs?
Show answer and worked solution
Answer: 42 markers
Equal groups mean multiplication: 6 × 7 = 42.
- Question 3easyGrade 4
A book has 120 pages. Sam has read 45. How many are left?
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Answer: 75 pages
Subtract what has been read from the total: 120 − 45 = 75.
- Question 4mediumGrade 5
Notebooks cost $3.25 each. What is the total for 4, and what change is left from $20?
Show answer and worked solution
Answer: $13.00 total, $7.00 change
First the total: 3.25 × 4 = 13.00. Then the change: 20.00 − 13.00 = 7.00. The total is the intermediate step.
- Question 5mediumGrade 6
A train travels 180 km in 2.5 hours. What is its average speed?
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Answer: 72 km per hour
Speed = distance ÷ time = 180 ÷ 2.5 = 72 km per hour.
- Question 6mediumGrade 7
A jacket costs $80 and is reduced by 25%. What is the sale price?
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Answer: $60
The discount is 0.25 × 80 = 20, so the sale price is 80 − 20 = 60. The multiplier method gives 0.75 × 80 = 60.
- Question 7hardGrade 7
A rectangular garden is 12 m by 8 m. Fencing costs $9 per metre. What is the total cost?
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Answer: $360
Perimeter = 2(12 + 8) = 40 m. Cost = 40 × 9 = $360. Perimeter is needed here, not area.
- Question 8hardGrade 8
A school of 480 students has a boy-to-girl ratio of 5 : 7. How many girls are there?
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Answer: 280 girls
Total parts = 5 + 7 = 12, so one part is 480 ÷ 12 = 40. Girls are 7 parts: 7 × 40 = 280.
- Question 9hardGrade 8
A tank holds 250 litres and is 60% full. How many more litres are needed to fill it?
Show answer and worked solution
Answer: 100 litres
It currently holds 0.6 × 250 = 150 litres. The space remaining is 250 − 150 = 100 litres.
Need more than a worksheet?
Turn this practice into a graded assessment. Pick a grade and difficulty mix and get a printable word problem test with a full worked answer key.
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The hard part is translation, not arithmetic
Most students who get a word problem wrong could have done the calculation if it had been written as a bare number sentence. The difficulty is deciding what to calculate. Underlining the question sentence first, then listing the known quantities, then choosing an operation, converts a wall of text into a short arithmetic task. The worked answers below show that translation step separately from the computation.
Multi-step problems need an intermediate answer
A problem that asks for change from a purchase of several items requires a total before a subtraction. Students who try to reach the final answer in one move usually lose the intermediate value. Writing the intermediate result on its own line, with a label, is the difference between a problem that takes thirty seconds and one that takes five minutes and ends in the wrong place.
Common mistakes to watch for
- Reaching for a keyword such as 'total' and adding, when the problem actually requires multiplication.
- Answering the intermediate step and stopping before the question that was actually asked.
- Ignoring units, so minutes and hours or cents and dollars get mixed in one calculation.
- Rounding a remainder down when the context requires rounding up.