Let’s go through each sentence one by one. For each underlined word, we’ll look at the rest of the sentence to figure out what it means — that’s using context clues!
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1. I had to set my alarm before the first day of school.
→ What does “alarm” mean here? The sentence says you set it *before school starts*. People usually set alarms to wake up on time. So “alarm” likely means a device or sound that wakes you up.
Answer: alarm – a device that makes noise to wake someone up
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2. I was excited to go to the theme park because I had never been there before.
→ Why would someone be excited? Because they’ve never been there — so it’s new and fun! “Excited” means feeling happy and eager about something.
Answer: excited – feeling very happy and looking forward to something
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3. My mom had to fix the leak before all the water came out.
→ If water is coming out where it shouldn’t (like from a pipe), and Mom has to stop it, then “fix” means to repair or make it work again.
Answer: fix – to repair something that is broken
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4. We were stranded on the island because the boat left us.
→ “Stranded” means stuck somewhere with no way to leave. The boat left them, so they couldn’t get off the island.
Answer: stranded – left in a place with no way to escape or leave
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5. We had our last meal because there was no more food left.
→ “Last meal” means the final thing they ate — since no more food was available. So “meal” here just means food eaten at one time.
Answer: meal – food eaten at one time (breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc.)
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6. My dad came home from the office after work.
→ Where do people go to work? Often an “office.” So “office” means a place where someone works, especially if they have a desk job.
Answer: office – a place where people go to work, often with desks and computers
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7. We had to raise money to give to the charity.
→ “Raise money” doesn’t mean lifting cash! It means collecting or gathering money from others — like asking friends or selling things to get funds for charity.
Answer: raise – to collect or gather money for a purpose
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Final Answer:
1. alarm – a device that makes noise to wake someone up
2. excited – feeling very happy and looking forward to something
3. fix – to repair something that is broken
4. stranded – left in a place with no way to escape or leave
5. meal – food eaten at one time (breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc.)
6. office – a place where people go to work, often with desks and computers
7. raise – to collect or gather money for a purpose
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of using context clues 5th grade.
