Math Drill Pages

3 Digit by 2 Digit Multiplication Word Problems

This sheet has 8 multi-digit multiplication word problems for grade 5. Each story multiplies a 3-digit number by a 2-digit number, such as 471 miles an hour for 13 hours. The set includes equal groups, rates, one area problem and two "times as many" comparisons, and no number ends in zero.

Grade
Grade 5
Problems
8
Time
About 30 minutes
Standard
5.NBT.B.5
Download PDF (US Letter) Download PDF (A4)

Two pages: the worksheet, then the answer key. No sign-up needed.

Worksheet preview

Word problems Solve. Show your work.

  1. A concert hall sells 344 tickets for each show. How many tickets does it sell for 22 shows?

    7,568

  2. A school orders 44 boxes of paper. Each box has 454 sheets. How many sheets of paper does the school order?

    19,976

  3. A bakery bakes 379 rolls every day. How many rolls does it bake in 27 days?

    10,233

  4. A school buys 19 tablets for 316 dollars each. How many dollars does the school spend?

    6,004

  5. A plane flies 471 miles each hour. How many miles does it fly in 13 hours?

    6,123

  6. A small library has 158 books. The city library has 19 times as many books. How many books does the city library have?

    3,002

  7. A town has 811 people. A city has 44 times as many people as the town. How many people live in the city?

    35,684

  8. A parking lot is 367 feet long and 49 feet wide. What is the area of the parking lot in square feet?

    17,983

Tips for teachers and parents

  • Ask for an estimate before the exact answer. 471 × 13 is about 500 × 10 = 5,000, so 6,123 is a reasonable answer.
  • Write the multiplication sentence first, with the larger number on top when using the standard algorithm.
  • The second partial product starts with a zero in the ones place because it multiplies by the tens digit.
  • Remind students to write large answers with a comma, like 35,684, so they can read the number back.

Common mistakes

  • Lining up the second partial product under the first instead of one place to the left. The answer is then about ten times too small.
  • Losing a regrouped digit in the middle of the 3-digit number. Have the student write the small carried digits above and cross them out once used.

What to practice next

Practice the bare computation on the 3-digit by 2-digit multiplication worksheet, or try long division with 2-digit divisors.

Frequently asked questions

What size numbers are in these 5th grade multiplication word problems?

Every problem multiplies a 3-digit number by a 2-digit number, and no number ends in zero. The answers are 4-digit or 5-digit numbers.

Which standard do 3 digit by 2 digit multiplication word problems cover?

Common Core 5.NBT.B.5: fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.

Is there an answer key?

Yes, page 2 of the PDF has the answers to all 8 problems.