Grade: Grade 5 Subject: Mathematics Unit: Fraction Operations SAT: Algebra ACT: Math

Fraction Word Problems

Apply your fraction skills to real-world situations! Learn to identify which operation to use and solve problems about cooking, measuring, sharing, and more.

Understanding Word Problems

The 4-Step Problem-Solving Strategy

1. Read and understand. 2. Identify the operation. 3. Set up and solve. 4. Check your answer.

The trickiest part of word problems is figuring out which operation to use. Look for keywords that give you clues!

Keyword Clues

Operation	Keywords	Example Situation
Addition	total, altogether, combined, sum, in all, plus, and	How much pizza was eaten in all?
Subtraction	left, remaining, difference, less than, take away, how much more	How much paint is left?
Multiplication	of, times, product, each, per, half of, third of	What is 1/2 of the recipe?
Division	split, share equally, divided by, how many groups, per serving	Split the pizza among friends

Pro Tip: The word "of" often means multiply! "1/3 OF 12" means 1/3 x 12.

Worked Examples

Addition Word Problems

Example 1: Recipe Problem

🍪 Maya is making cookies. The recipe calls for 2/3 cup of white sugar and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. How much sugar does she need in total?

Identify the Operation

Keywords: "in total" tells us to ADD the amounts together.

Solution

Step 1: Find the LCD of 3 and 4. LCD = 12

Step 2: Convert: 2/3 = 8/12 and 1/4 = 3/12

Step 3: Add: 8/12 + 3/12 = 11/12

2 3

1 4

11 12

cup of sugar

Subtraction Word Problems

Example 2: Remaining Amount

🎨 Carlos had 3/4 gallon of paint. He used 1/3 gallon to paint a birdhouse. How much paint does he have left?

Identify the Operation

Keywords: "left" and "used" tell us to SUBTRACT.

Solution

Step 1: Find the LCD of 4 and 3. LCD = 12

Step 2: Convert: 3/4 = 9/12 and 1/3 = 4/12

Step 3: Subtract: 9/12 - 4/12 = 5/12

3 4

1 3

5 12

gallon left

Multiplication Word Problems

Example 3: Finding a Part

🍕 A pizza has 8 slices. Emma ate 3/4 of the pizza. How many slices did Emma eat?

Identify the Operation

Keywords: "of" tells us to MULTIPLY. We want 3/4 OF 8 slices.

Solution

Step 1: Write 8 as a fraction: 8/1

Step 2: Multiply: 3/4 x 8/1 = 24/4 = 6

3 4

x 8 = 6 slices

Example 4: Scaling a Recipe

🧁 A muffin recipe calls for 2/3 cup of milk. If you want to make 1/2 of the recipe, how much milk do you need?

Identify the Operation

Keywords: "1/2 of" tells us to MULTIPLY by 1/2.

Solution

1 2

2 3

2 6

1 3

cup of milk

Division Word Problems

Example 5: Sharing Equally

🍫 Jamal has 3/4 pound of chocolate. He wants to divide it equally among 3 friends. How much chocolate does each friend get?

Identify the Operation

Keywords: "divide equally" tells us to DIVIDE.

Solution

Step 1: Write as division: 3/4 divided by 3

Step 2: Keep-Change-Flip: 3/4 x 1/3

Step 3: Multiply: 3/4 x 1/3 = 3/12 = 1/4

3 4

÷ 3 =

1 4

pound each

Example 6: How Many Groups?

🎀 Sarah has 6 yards of ribbon. Each bow requires 3/4 yard of ribbon. How many bows can she make?

Identify the Operation

Keywords: "how many" groups can be made tells us to DIVIDE.

Solution

6 ÷

3 4

= 6 x

4 3

24 3

= 8 bows

Practice Problems

Read each problem carefully, identify the operation, and solve!

Problem 1

📚 Lily read 2/5 of her book on Monday and 1/4 of her book on Tuesday. What fraction of the book did she read in total?

Problem 2

🥤 Tom drank 5/8 of a gallon of juice. His sister drank 1/4 gallon. How much more juice did Tom drink than his sister?

Problem 3

🌱 A garden is 3/4 acre. Maria planted vegetables in 2/3 of the garden. What fraction of an acre did she plant with vegetables?

Problem 4

🎂 A recipe needs 3/4 cup of flour. If you want to triple the recipe, how much flour do you need?

Problem 5

🎁 Anna has 2/3 of a yard of wrapping paper. Each small gift needs 1/6 yard. How many small gifts can she wrap?

Problem 6

🏃 Kevin ran 3/4 mile in the morning and 5/8 mile in the evening. How far did he run altogether?

Problem 7

🧀 A cheese wheel weighs 5/6 pound. If you cut it into pieces that each weigh 1/12 pound, how many pieces do you get?

Problem 8

💧 A bucket was 7/8 full of water. After watering plants, it was 1/4 full. What fraction of the bucket of water was used?

Key Strategies

Read Carefully

Underline important numbers and keywords.

Identify Operation

Use keyword clues: total = add, left = subtract, of = multiply, share = divide.

Set Up Equation

Write out the math before solving.

Check Your Answer

Does it make sense? Is it simplified?

Remember: Real-world problems often have extra information. Focus only on the numbers you need to answer the question!