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Multiplication Word Problems

7 free PDFsUS Letter PDFsAnswer key includedNo login

Equal groups, arrays, measures and money stories within 100, with room to draw and a number sentence line. Every key shows a bar model and the answer.

Download the multiplication word problems worksheets

Multiplication word problems

Mixed equal groups, arrays, measures and money stories, then pages on just groups and arrays and just measures and money.

Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.

About these multiplication word problems worksheets

Multiplication word problems in 3rd grade come in three kinds: equal groups (5 packs with 6 markers in each), arrays (4 rows of 7 chairs) and measures (3 ropes that are each 8 feet long). The child has to see the equal groups in the story, then write a multiplication sentence.

Each problem has a box to draw a picture or a model, a line for the number sentence and an answer box with the unit. The answer keys draw a bar model of equal parts with the total, so a parent or teacher can show one clear way to think about the story.

All products stay within 100. Every page has an answer key on page 2 and prints in black and white on US Letter or A4.

Standards

  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.OA.A.3Use multiplication and division within 100 to solve word problems in situations involving equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.OA.A.1Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 × 7 as the total number of objects in 5 groups of 7 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a total number of objects can be expressed as 5 × 7.

How to use them

  1. Read each story aloud first. Ask: what are the equal groups? How many groups? How many in each?
  2. Have children draw before they write. Circles with dots, an array or a bar model all work.
  3. Ask for the unit in every answer: 24 what? Markers, feet, dollars.
  4. Use Equal Groups and Arrays first, then Measures and Money, then the mixed pages.

Teaching tips

  • Words like each, every and per often signal equal groups, but always picture the story, not just the words.
  • The number of groups usually comes first in the sentence: 4 bags of 6 is 4 × 6.
  • If the total is given and a group size is missing, it's a division story.
  • Check the answer makes sense: 5 ropes of 8 feet can't be 13 feet long.

Questions teachers and parents ask

How do you solve a multiplication word problem?

Find the equal groups. Count how many groups there are and how many are in each group, draw them, then multiply. For "6 boxes with 4 crayons in each," write 6 × 4 = 24 crayons.

What is a bar model?

A bar model draws each equal group as a box of the same size, with the total under a bracket. It shows at a glance what is known and what is missing.

Are there answer keys?

Yes. Page 2 of every PDF shows the number sentence, a bar model and the answer with its unit.