Which term describes words with multiple possible meanings depending on their use?

Which term describes words with multiple possible meanings depending on their use?

• A. Base or root words
• B. Idioms
• C. Affixes
• D. Multiple meaning words

Answer: (D)

Words that have more than one meaning depending on how they’re used are described as multiple meaning words. This happens when context makes the sense of a word change. For example, bank can mean a financial institution or the side of a river, and bat can be an animal or a sports implement. That idea is exactly what the term “multiple meaning words” names, so it’s the best fit here. The other ideas refer to different things: base or root words are the original form a word comes from, before adding endings or prefixes; idioms are phrases whose meaning isn’t just the sum of the individual words; and affixes are the prefixes or suffixes that attach to a word to change its meaning or part of speech.

Words that have more than one meaning depending on how they’re used are described as multiple meaning words. This happens when context makes the sense of a word change. For example, bank can mean a financial institution or the side of a river, and bat can be an animal or a sports implement. That idea is exactly what the term “multiple meaning words” names, so it’s the best fit here.

The other ideas refer to different things: base or root words are the original form a word comes from, before adding endings or prefixes; idioms are phrases whose meaning isn’t just the sum of the individual words; and affixes are the prefixes or suffixes that attach to a word to change its meaning or part of speech.