From one bag of flour, 3/8 goes into bread and 2/5 goes into pancakes. What fraction of the bag is used altogether?
Hint: Can you write both fractions with the same bottom number first?
Answer: 31/40
5th Grade Fractions Worksheets with Answers (PDF)
Imaginesis: printable 5th Grade Fractions worksheets for the United States (Common Core) — Adding and Subtracting Unlike Fractions, Dividing Whole Numbers and Unit Fractions, Finding a Fraction of a Whole Number: word problems with hints, answer keys and step-by-step solutions as PDF, also as an A/B test.
Sample word problems
A road crew has 8 tonnes of asphalt for patching potholes, and every pothole takes 1/7 of a tonne. How many potholes can the crew fill?
Hint: Work out how many portions of 1/7 fit into one tonne, then into all of them.
Answer: 56
In the bakery display case sit 56 brioche rolls. Exactly 3/7 of the rolls contain dried cherries. How many rolls contain dried cherries?
Hint: First divide the 56 brioche rolls into 7 equal groups to find the size of one part. Then count how many rolls are in 3 of those groups.
Answer: 24
Skills in this topic
Adding and Subtracting Unlike Fractions
Children learn to rewrite fractions with different denominators into equivalent fractions with a shared denominator so they can add and subtract them and solve related word problems.
5.NF.A.1 Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators (including mixed numbers) by replacing given fractions with equivalent fractions in such a way as to produce an equivalent sum or difference of fractions with like denominators. For example, 2/3 + 5/4 = 8/12 + 15/12 = 23/12. (In general, a/b + c/d = (ad + bc)/bd.)5.NF.A.2 Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions referring to the same whole, including cases of unlike denominators, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the problem. Use benchmark fractions and number sense of fractions to estimate mentally and assess the reasonableness of answers. For example, recognize an incorrect result 2/5 + 1/2 = 3/7, by observing that 3/7 < 1/2.
In fifth grade, students learn to add and subtract fractions with different denominators by replacing them with equivalent fractions that share a common denominator. For example, to solve 2/3 + 5/4, they find a shared unit to write 8/12 + 15/12 = 23/12. They apply this method to both proper fractions and mixed numbers, and use benchmark fractions to mentally estimate and judge whether their results make sense.
A typical error is adding or subtracting across both the numerators and denominators directly, producing answers like 2/5 + 1/2 = 3/7. This usually happens when students treat fractions as pairs of independent whole numbers rather than parts of a whole. Developing fraction number sense helps them notice that 3/7 is smaller than 1/2, making such an answer impossible when adding two positive amounts.
Worksheet activities build this skill through direct calculations and word problems. Students practice finding common denominators in Add fractions with unlike denominators and Subtract fractions with unlike denominators, and they interpret story contexts referring to a shared whole in How much altogether? Unlike fractions.
Dividing Whole Numbers and Unit Fractions
Students learn to divide unit fractions by whole numbers and whole numbers by unit fractions using visual models and the relationship to multiplication.
5.NF.B.7 Apply and extend previous understandings of division to divide unit fractions by whole numbers and whole numbers by unit fractions. a. Interpret division of a unit fraction by a non-zero whole number, and compute such quotients. For example, create a story context for (1/3) ÷ 4, and use a visual fraction model to show the quotient. Use the relationship between multiplication and division to explain that (1/3) ÷ 4 = 1/12 because (1/12) × 4 = 1/3.
In fifth grade, students learn to divide unit fractions (fractions with a numerator of 1, such as 1/3) by non-zero whole numbers, as well as whole numbers by unit fractions. They use visual fraction models to see the division and connect the result to multiplication—for instance, understanding that (1/3) ÷ 4 = 1/12 because (1/12) × 4 = 1/3.
A common error occurs when children assume that division always makes numbers smaller. When dividing a whole number by a unit fraction, they may mistakenly produce a smaller fraction instead of recognizing that breaking a whole into smaller parts creates a greater total number of pieces.
Worksheet tasks such as How many unit fractions fit? reinforce this concept visually. These problems ask students to find how many unit fraction parts fit inside a given whole number, building a concrete understanding of division as counting equal-sized shares.
Finding a Fraction of a Whole Number
Students learn to find a fraction of a whole number or quantity using multiplication, visual models, and equations to solve real-world problems.
4.NF.B.4 Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication to multiply a fraction by a whole number. a. Understand a fraction a/b as a multiple of 1/b. For example, use a visual fraction model to represent 5/4 as the product 5 × (1/4), recording the conclusion by the equation 5/4 = 5 × (1/4). b. Understand a multiple of a/b as a multiple of 1/b, and use this understanding to multiply a fraction by a whole number. For example, use a visual fraction model to express 3 × (2/5) as 6 × (1/5), recognizing this product as 6/5. (In general, n × (a/b) = (n × a)/b.) c. Solve word problems involving multiplication of a fraction by a whole number, e.g., by using visual fraction models and equations to represent the problem. For example, if each person at a party will eat 3/8 of a pound of roast beef, and there will be 5 people at the party, how many pounds of roast beef will be needed? Between what two whole numbers does your answer lie?3Grade 4 expectations in this domain are limited to fractions with denominators 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 100.5.NF.B.6 Solve real world problems involving multiplication of fractions and mixed numbers, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent the problem.
In grade 5, students build on their understanding of multiplication to find a fractional part of a whole number or quantity. Working with equations and visual fraction models, they learn to represent taking a fraction of an amount as multiplication, recognizing that finding a/b of a number n corresponds to the calculation (n × a)/b, and extend this to real-world problems involving fractions and mixed numbers.
A common error occurs when children multiply the whole number by both the numerator and the denominator—for instance, calculating 3 × 2/5 as 6/15 instead of 6/5. This typically happens when a student confuses multiplying a fraction by a whole number with creating an equivalent fraction, forgetting that only the count of unit parts is being scaled.
Practice tasks based on the Find a fraction of a number template present students with direct calculations and real-world word problems. Children write the corresponding equation, use visual fraction models to partition the quantity, and compute the resulting product.