Base Words and Word Meanings

Every big word has a small word hiding inside it. That small word is called a base word. Some words also have more than one meaning. In this lesson, you will learn how to find base words and how to pick the right meaning of a word by looking at the sentence around it.

A base word is the smallest whole word you can find inside a bigger word. It is the part that still makes sense all by itself. Look at the word "jumps." Take away the "s" and you have "jump." That is the base word.

You can add small parts to the end of a base word to make a new word. Look at these words that all come from the same base word, "jump":

• jump + s = jumps
• jump + ed = jumped
• jump + ing = jumping

Even though each word looks a little different, they all come from "jump." If you know the base word, you can figure out the new word too.

Try this with your own words. Find the base word inside "looked," "plays," and "walking." Did you find "look," "play," and "walk"?

Some words are not just spelled the same, they also have more than one meaning. You have to think about the sentence to know which meaning is being used.

Look at the word "bat." It can mean a flying animal that comes out at night. It can also mean the long stick a player swings to hit a ball.

• "The bat flew out of the cave." (a flying animal)
• "She hit the ball with the bat." (a stick for a game)

Here is another word with two meanings, "ring."

• "She wore a ring on her finger." (a small round piece of jewelry)
• "The phone began to ring." (a sound)

When a word has two meanings, look at the words around it. Those words are clues that tell you which meaning fits.

Read this sentence: "The dog began to bark at the mail carrier." The word "bark" could mean the sound a dog makes, or the rough covering on a tree. Since the sentence talks about a dog, "bark" means the sound the dog makes.

Now read this one: "The bark on the old tree was rough." This sentence talks about a tree, so "bark" means the covering on the tree, not the dog sound.

Once you get good at spotting base words and picking meanings from clues, you can move on to Root Words and Shades of Meaning, where words can mean almost the same thing but in slightly different ways.

Base Word: The smallest whole word hiding inside a longer word, like "walk" in "walking."

Ending: Letters added to the end of a base word, like "s," "ed," or "ing."

Multiple Meanings: When one word can mean more than one thing.

Bat: Can mean a flying animal or a stick used to hit a ball.

Bark: Can mean the sound a dog makes or the rough covering on a tree.

Ring: Can mean jewelry worn on a finger or a sound a phone makes.

Context Clue: Words in a sentence that help you know which meaning of a word is correct.

Say the word "played." Cover up the "ed" with your finger. What base word do you see? Try it again with "runs" and "smiling."

Now try meanings. Say the word "fly." Does it mean an insect, or does it mean to move through the air? Read a sentence out loud and decide which meaning fits.

Related lessons

• Root Words and Multiple Meanings