Use Context Clues

Grade 4 Reading Worksheet

Read the text. Circle what the word means.

1. Read this first

   Kwame and the Stubborn Bike Chain

   Kwame had been looking forward to Saturday all week. He planned to ride his bike to the lake with his friend Rosa. But when he wheeled his bike out of the garage, the chain hung loose. It had slipped off the gears again.

   Kwame groaned. He was reluctant to fix it himself. Usually his older sister Efua repaired it, but she was away at a soccer game. Rosa would arrive in an hour, so he had no choice.

   He flipped the bike upside down. Then he studied the chain and the sprocket, the wheel with teeth that grabs the chain and turns it. The chain kept sliding off the teeth. Kwame was perplexed. He scratched his head and could not figure out why.

   He found a repair video on his dad's tablet. The woman in the video explained that a dry chain can skip. "You need to lubricate it," she said. "Add a few drops of oil so the parts slide smoothly."

   Kwame found the oil can in the garage. The next part was tedious. He had to turn the pedal slowly and put one drop of oil on each link. There were more than a hundred links! It took a long time, and it was boring work. Still, he did not give up.

   Next, he had to adjust the back wheel. He loosened two bolts and moved the wheel back a tiny bit. This small change made the chain tighter. Then he tightened the bolts again.

   Kwame lifted the chain onto the sprocket and turned the pedal. Click, click, click. The chain stayed in place. He flipped the bike over and rode in a circle around the driveway. The ride was smooth and quiet.

   Just then, Rosa rolled up the driveway. "Ready?" she asked.

   Kwame grinned. He was elated, happier than he had felt all week. "Ready," he said. "And guess what? I fixed it myself."

   That evening, Efua came home and checked the chain. She spun the pedal and listened. "Nice work," she said. "You did that like a real mechanic."

2. 1.

   Kwame was reluctant to fix the chain. What does reluctant mean?

   • afraid of getting hurt
   • not wanting to do something
   • excited to try something new
   • too tired to move
3. 2.

   What is a sprocket?

   • the seat of a bike
   • a wheel with teeth that turns the chain
   • a drop of oil for the chain
   • a bolt that holds the back wheel
4. 3.

   What does perplexed mean?

   • proud
   • confused
   • angry
   • bored
5. 4.

   The chain hung loose. What does loose mean here?

   • covered in sticky oil
   • tied in a tight knot
   • not held tightly in place
   • broken into small pieces