Worksheets · Pre-Algebra

Proportion word problems worksheet

Write the two ratios with the same kind of quantity in the same place: cups over people on both sides, or height over shadow on both sides. Then cross-multiply.

Select your difficulty

Pick more than one for a sheet that mixes them.

Free math worksheets at sigmaprep.io/worksheets© 2026 Sigma Prep

Sigma Prep · sigmaprep.io/worksheets

Name

Proportion Word Problems

Date Period

Set up a proportion and solve it.

  1. A car travels 60 miles in 3 hours. At the same speed, how far does it travel in 9.5 hours?
  2. A recipe uses 56 teaspoon of salt for 3 servings. How much is needed for 11 servings?
  3. A person 6 feet tall casts a shadow 7 feet long. At the same moment a tree casts a shadow 35 feet long. How tall is the tree?
  4. A recipe uses 23 cup of sugar for 4 servings. How much is needed for 6 servings?
  5. A person 5 feet tall casts a shadow 4 feet long. At the same moment a tree casts a shadow 32 feet long. How tall is the tree?
  6. A recipe uses 12 cup of sugar for 6 servings. How much is needed for 14 servings?
  7. On a map, 4 cm stands for 80 km. Two towns are 7.5 cm apart on the map. How far apart are they?
  8. A recipe uses 34 teaspoon of salt for 7 servings. How much is needed for 9 servings?
  9. 4 apples cost $8. How many apples can you buy for $6?
  10. A recipe uses 34 cup of sugar for 4 servings. How much is needed for 6 servings?
  11. A car travels 120 miles in 2 hours. At the same speed, how far does it travel in 3.5 hours?
  12. A recipe uses 23 cup of sugar for 6 servings. How much is needed for 15 servings?
  13. 7 apples cost $10.50. How many apples can you buy for $7.50?
  14. A recipe uses 38 teaspoon of salt for 8 servings. How much is needed for 15 servings?
  15. 8 apples cost $20. How many apples can you buy for $7.50?
  16. A recipe uses 23 teaspoon of salt for 8 servings. How much is needed for 7 servings?
  17. A person 6 feet tall casts a shadow 8 feet long. At the same moment a tree casts a shadow 24 feet long. How tall is the tree?
  18. A recipe uses 38 teaspoon of salt for 8 servings. How much is needed for 4 servings?
  19. A recipe uses 2 cups of flour for 4 people. How much flour for 12 people?
  20. A recipe uses 34 cup of rice for 6 people. How much is needed for 10 people?

Free math worksheets at sigmaprep.io/worksheets© 2026 Sigma Prep

Sigma Prep · sigmaprep.io/worksheets

Name

Proportion Word ProblemsAnswer keyVersion 1

Date Period

Set up a proportion and solve it.

  1. A car travels 60 miles in 3 hours. At the same speed, how far does it travel in 9.5 hours?190 miles
  2. A recipe uses 56 teaspoon of salt for 3 servings. How much is needed for 11 servings?3118 teaspoons
  3. A person 6 feet tall casts a shadow 7 feet long. At the same moment a tree casts a shadow 35 feet long. How tall is the tree?30 ft
  4. A recipe uses 23 cup of sugar for 4 servings. How much is needed for 6 servings?1 cup
  5. A person 5 feet tall casts a shadow 4 feet long. At the same moment a tree casts a shadow 32 feet long. How tall is the tree?40 ft
  6. A recipe uses 12 cup of sugar for 6 servings. How much is needed for 14 servings?116 cups
  7. On a map, 4 cm stands for 80 km. Two towns are 7.5 cm apart on the map. How far apart are they?150 km
  8. A recipe uses 34 teaspoon of salt for 7 servings. How much is needed for 9 servings?2728 teaspoon
  9. 4 apples cost $8. How many apples can you buy for $6?3
  10. A recipe uses 34 cup of sugar for 4 servings. How much is needed for 6 servings?118 cups
  11. A car travels 120 miles in 2 hours. At the same speed, how far does it travel in 3.5 hours?210 miles
  12. A recipe uses 23 cup of sugar for 6 servings. How much is needed for 15 servings?123 cups
  13. 7 apples cost $10.50. How many apples can you buy for $7.50?5
  14. A recipe uses 38 teaspoon of salt for 8 servings. How much is needed for 15 servings?4564 teaspoon
  15. 8 apples cost $20. How many apples can you buy for $7.50?3
  16. A recipe uses 23 teaspoon of salt for 8 servings. How much is needed for 7 servings?712 teaspoon
  17. A person 6 feet tall casts a shadow 8 feet long. At the same moment a tree casts a shadow 24 feet long. How tall is the tree?18 ft
  18. A recipe uses 38 teaspoon of salt for 8 servings. How much is needed for 4 servings?316 teaspoon
  19. A recipe uses 2 cups of flour for 4 people. How much flour for 12 people?6
  20. A recipe uses 34 cup of rice for 6 people. How much is needed for 10 people?114 cups

Free math worksheets at sigmaprep.io/worksheets© 2026 Sigma Prep

How to do these

2 cups for 6 people. How much for 15?

  1. 2/6 = x/15.
  2. Cross-multiply: 6x = 30.
  3. Divide by 6.

The answer is 5.

Where students go wrong

Flipping one ratio. Cups over people on one side and people over cups on the other gives a wrong answer that still looks reasonable.

Also called proportion word problems, ratio word problems, similar figures word problems or shadow problems.

What you can put on this worksheet

Proportion word problems
A person 6 feet tall casts a shadow 9 feet long. At the same moment a tree casts a shadow 18 feet long. How tall is the tree? → 12 ft
With fractions
A recipe uses 56 teaspoon of salt for 5 servings. How much is needed for 6 servings? → 1 teaspoon

Questions about these worksheets

Yes. Every proportion word problems sheet is free to print and free to download as a PDF. There is no account to make, no email to hand over and no limit on how many you take.

Yes. The answer key prints on a second page, and you can choose whether it shows each question beside its answer or just the answers in a list.

Yes. Print straight from the page, or download the PDF and print that. The sheet is laid out for paper rather than squeezed off a screen, so there is room to work under each question, and the answer key comes out on its own page.

Pre-Algebra is usually taken around 7th or 8th grade, though schools vary and plenty of students meet it earlier or later. Pick the difficulty rather than the grade: the easy level suits a first lesson on it, the hard level suits review before a test.

Yes, as many as you like. The questions are built fresh each time rather than picked from a fixed set of files, so pressing Generate gives a new sheet. That is what you want for a second class, a retake, or two students sitting next to each other.

That is the closest comparison, and Kuta Software is good software. It is also paid software you install on a computer. These worksheets run in a browser tab for free, with no account and nothing to install. Like Kuta, the proportion word problems questions are generated when you ask for them rather than pulled from a fixed set of files, so two classes never get the same sheet, and the answer key comes with it.

Yes. There are three levels, and you can tick more than one for a sheet that mixes them, in which case the questions come out easiest first. The harder levels are not just larger numbers: they ask for something the easy ones do not.

You pick from 2: proportion word problems and with fractions. Tick as many as you want and set how many of each, or let it spread them evenly.

Flipping one ratio. Cups over people on one side and people over cups on the other gives a wrong answer that still looks reasonable.