Tricky “Easy” GRE Words with Multiple Meanings

to stem means to hold back or limit the flow or growth of something.

to have a limited outlook or understanding.

To check something is to stop its growth (similar to stem but with more of a focus on growth than flow).

A checkered past is one that is marked by disreputablehappenings.

A raft is an inflatable boat. It can also mean a large number of something.

it is complicated, and difficult to comprehend.

To be retiring is to be shy,and have the inclination to retract from company.

communicative, and prone to talking in a sociablemanner.

If something is of moment, it is significantand important (think of the word momentous).

contemptible and ignoble.

Literally, to imbibe is to drink, usually copiously. Figuratively, imbibe can refer to an intake ofknowledge or information.

Speaking of floods, inundate is a synonym for deluge. Figuratively, to be inundated means to be overwhelmed by too many people or things.

If something gives off sparks, such as when photons collide, it is said to scintillate. Figuratively, scintillating describes someone who is brilliant and lively.

If the sky darkens, and becomes night, it is, unsurprisingly, benighted. However, if a people are benighted (this word is usually reserved for the collective), that group falls in a state of ignorance.

Today, galvanize can mean to shock but in a different sense than through raw electricity. To galvanizeis to shock or urge somebody/something into action.

Need to strengthen steel by giving it a final coat? Or, perhaps you need to motivate somebody? Well, in both cases, you would literally be galvanizing. Figuratively, to galvanize is to excite to action or spur on.

Hedge can also be used in a verb sense. If you hedge your bets, you play safely. If you hedge a statement, you limit or qualify that statement. Finally, hedge can also mean to avoid making a direct statement, as in equivocating.

to be in abundance, and to drive out of hiding

fell—to cut down a tree, the past tense of fall (we all know that) and evil.

to be arch is to be deliberately teasing

To beg a question can mean to evade a question,invite an obvious question, or, and this is where it starts to get really tricky, to ask a question that initself makes unwarranted assumptions.

When you tender something, you offer it up.

The secondary meaning for intimate is to suggest something subtly.

Wanting means lacking.

If something isbecoming, it matches nicely.

To start is to suddenlymove or dart in a particular direction

To fleece is to deceive.

If something is telling, it is significant and stands out.

The secondary meaning for wax is to increase. The opposite ofwax is to wane.

To qualify is to limit, and is usually used in the context of a statement or an opinion.